The Prophecy
by Cor Scorpii
Summary: A prophecy was set in place when the Jewel was first Tainted. Will it be fulfilled now that our favourite Hanyou holds the Shikon No Toma in his hands? Changed to rated M, don't like don't read.
1. Naraku's Death, InuYasha's Wish

REDOING CHAPTERS!!!! And if you're a first-time reader, welcome to my story, you are now reading the better version! Just generally lengthened it out a bit, added more details and just generally made it better! Also, until I fix chapter 2, it won't really meld, so please be patient!

Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own any of the characters found in the InuYasha manga series.

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It was late afternoon when Kikyou died. Naraku had killed her when he gained his new body, laughing in victory as the last remaining cause of his humanity faded from existence. Red eyes turned to the group in front of him, the only thing standing between him and ultimate power. The battle had started immediately, leaving no time for petty words that would not change the outcome. Naraku of course had started by putting up his barrier, easily broken by Tetsusaiga. The fight that ensued tore up half the countryside, leaving mounds of Naraku's collected flesh in its wake. The clang of metal and yells of fury scared away most other forms of life, but attracted few new ones. Sesshomaru and Kouga showed up sometime later, not so much to help, but to kill Naraku themselves. As to be expected, even the demons soon stared to tire, Naraku's seemingly endless supply of flesh getting the best of them even as he himself started losing strength. Kagura was being as unhelpful to him as possible until he would grip her heart and force her to attack. After what seemed like an eternity of bruises, cuts, and wounds of every other kind, Naraku was so weak that what was left of his miasma would barely give them a nosebleed.

"_One more strike outta get 'im…_" InuYasha thought to himself. He looked over at Kagome. "Kagome! We need one more arrow, shoot for his heart!" She nodded and knocked another arrow into place holding the taught bow as steady as she could while the arrow itself glowed with pure energy. InuYasha then turned to Sesshomaru. "Sesshomaru, we all need to attack together. Use Tokijin to set an attack on Naraku's body when I say so." Sesshomaru scoffed.

"I don't need you to tell me, half-breed." Even with this comment, he still held out the deadly blade, the swirl of demonic energy around him increasing.

"Fine then, NOW!" At InuYasha's words, Kagome let the arrow go, a streak of energy following like a tail. At the same moment, Sesshomaru swung Tokijin forward. His Dragon Strike reared around his form, the glow of the attack illuminating the scene as the azure dragon leaped forward, the blue of its energy curling around the pinkish tail that led from the miko's arrow and propelling it forward at an even greater speed. Finally InuYasha swung Tetsusaiga, yelling "**BACKLASHWAVE**", and sending a surge of demonic energy to mingle with Seshomaru's attack and almost blasting the arrow forward.

Kagura, who was floating above, was staring at the cyclone of energy blasting towards her "father". Anticipating that Naraku would find some way to dodge this inconceivable amount of energy, she opened her fan and waved it in one smooth motion, sending wind from all directions at Naraku to bind him in place. His eyes widened in horror as the attack hit him full force in the chest. His scream was so horrible, so filled with pain and anger, that they all covered their ears in an attempt to block out the noise. The last thing he saw was the look of triumph on every face. Each pair of eyes seemed to say, "_You lose!_" Finally his whole body exploded, showering the area with a litter of more demonic lumps of flesh. Then all was still. Not a branch creaked, not a whisper of wind blew over the scene.

"Kagome!" The silence was broken by the small form of Shippo bounding out of his hiding place and leaping into the Miko's arms. "Kagome, are you alright?"

"I'm fine Shippo, I'm fine…"

All heads turned to Miroku as he grunted in pain, holding out his right hand. After a minute, he took his prayer beads off and removed the cloth, showing his now wind-tunnel-free hand. He gently pressed his fingers to the place where the dreaded vortex was just a few minutes ago. "It's really over…." He said. Out of the settling dust, two forms walked towards the group. Kagura flew down and landed next to her albino sister who was accompanied by Kohaku.

"Kanna, get rid of this filth…" came the low, disgusted voice of Kagura as she looked at the remains of her creator. Kanna nodded and the mirror glowed in her hands, sucking in every last piece of flesh that lay scattered. After one last glance at the groupd, Sesshomaru in particular, she summoned her feather and she and Kanna disappeared into the night sky.

"K-Kohaku?" Sango took a tentative step forward as her brother's glazed eyes came back into focus. Those eyes looked up at the sound of his name and filled with tears as the sight of his sister met him.

"Sango…? Please forgive me Sango, I tried to fight but I couldn't!" He ran to his sister and wept in her arms, his small frame shaking with the force of each sob. They both fell to their knees and cried together, ignoring everyone else.

Sesshomaru, seeing no more need to be in the presence of those around him sheathed his blade and turned, walking away towards where he had left Jaken, Rin and Ah-Un. Kouga on the other hand was smiling cockily as Ginta and Hakaku praised him for his part in the defeat of the cruel villain.

Meanwhile, Kagome was walking towards a small pink glow that emanated from a small sphere that rested in the middle of a scorched patch of earth. The Shikon No Toma. She gently picked it up, her touch purifying it instantly. Without another word, she turned and walked back towards the group. She added her shards to the almost complete jewel then tucked it under her shirt as always.

"Come on," she whispered. "Let's go home…" InuYasha smiled. _Home…_ No one could keep from smiling at those words, not even Sango and Kohaku. They gathered together and started the journey home. Kouga, Ginta and Hakaku followed along at Kouga's insistance, which got InuYasha into a foul mood. It was going to be a long journey back.

After two days of traveling, the trip made shorter by each demon carrying a human for a time, they arrived at the village outside InuYasha's Forest.

"Kaede!!" Shippo jumped off Kagome's shoulder to race forward and leap into the old Miko's arms. "Kaede we're back! We did it!"

"Did what, child?" the old one asked, smiling down at the kitsune in her arms.

"We killed Naraku!"

"Did you really?" she asked, an astounded smile on her face. "My, my, this calls for a celebration!"

"How 'bout a little rest first?" came InuYasha's irritated voice. He _still_ wasn't happy about having the wolves follow them home like lost puppies, especially because on their way home, Kouga had insisted that Kagome return to his pack with him because now that Naraku was dead, it was safe to claim her officially. She had politely declined and since made sure that InuYasha stood between her and the other insistent male.

"Of course. All of ye must be very tired. Come, let's get some food into ye." They all nodded and followed the old woman, Sango staying close to Kohaku the whole way.

After they had finished the meal, they all gathered to have their wounds checked over. The demons of course were all as healthy as ever, and so was Kohaku.. Kagome figured this was due to one of three remaining shards of the Jewel that was embedded into his back. When everyone was settling down for the night, Kohaku and Sango left the cramped hut to go for a walk and talk over everything that had happened in the past few years. Everyone was silent as the two forms left the warmth of the hut and Kagome tried to stay up and wait for her friend but soon gave in to the fatigue that dragged her eyelids closed.

It wasn't until late morning the next day that Sango returned. Kagome turned questioning eyes on her feudal era sister. Sango only shook her head and held out her hand to Kagome. In her palm was the small, glimmering shard that had been the only thing to keep her bother alive.

"Sango…" At Kagome's voice she only shook her head again and held it out more insistently. As soon as Kagome had taken the shard, Sango went to sit next to Miroku, avoiding every pair of eyes that had fallen on her. A moment later, only two shards remained. It was now that all eyes turned to the young wolf leader and he scoffed.

"So, you want me to give 'em up, eh?" Without waiting for an answer he sighed and removed the last two pieces from his shins. "Finish it off then, Kagome…" Everyone held their breath as Kagome completed the jewel, the glow of the orb brightening as it became whole once more.

"_Now_ it's over…" came InuYasha's murmur. Kagome shook her head.

"No…" She gently tugged the chain that held the jewel and it snapped easily enough. Taking a deep breath, she held it out to the hanyou.

"Take it…"

"W-what?" came his slightly surprised response.

"I promised this to you… take it and make your wish…" Everyone held their breath as a clawed hand reached forward to grasp the Jewel.

"I wish…"

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C'mon, you guys KNEW it was coming. Well, some of you did…. ANYWAY, first chapter redone, now going to work on the second and make that one better… will prolly end up redoing almost all the chapters. Anywoot, for the newcommers, REVIEW!!


	2. Fulfilled

Okie dokie, chapter 2 version 3. Changing everything around a little now! Enjoy!

The moment of silence that followed felt like centuries as each pair of eyes lay trained on the root of all their problems in these past few years. Now, maybe, their suffering, their anxiety would finally come to an end, with the jewel disappearing once more. Feeling the stares directed at him, InuYasha stared down at the seemingly harmless bead in his hand. He thought about the wishes he had thought he would sue the jewel for; becoming human to be with Kikyou, or becoming a full demon to fulfill his own desperate desire for acceptance. Neither of these wishes would purify the jewel, and because of that, it would still be there to lure and torment those who would seek it. The silence dragged on as InuYasha stood undecided, nervous shifting taking hold of those who stood waiting. Finally, InuYasha took a deep breath and, letting it out, he murmured, "I wish to fulfill the prophecy…"

Silence.

Not a whisper of wind rustled past. Everyone looked around at each other, each pair of eyes holding confusion. Then, finally, something happened. Every head whipped around as a squeak came out of Kagome. The glowing orb that was the Shikon Jewel floated in front of her, slowly advancing towards her chest. Her breath caught in her throat as another glowing orb, this one white and looking nothing more than mist, floated out of her chest to meet the jewel. In a flash of light, the jewel and the mist that was her soul had merged and now the slightly bigger jewel floated back to her chest, brushing the skin below where her collarbones met before sliding through her skin like a knife through butter. It stopped there, a tiny bit of its smooth surface protruding from her pale skin. But this wasn't the only happening. Kagome's body also shifted and started to change.

Her nails grew out and sharpened into claws. Her features became more defined, elegant. Her hair grew longer and two of the front most locks turned silver. Her human ears where replaced by dog-ears, black with silver tips. Her teeth elongated and curved into fangs. Her eyes widened as the irises faded to the purest gold before they fluttered closed and she fell forward onto all fours. Gasps were heard and InuYasha kneeled forward, placing a clawed hand on her shoulder.

"K-Kagome?" Confused golden eyes watched as Kagome convulsed, clutching her head. Unknown to the spectators, the image of Midoriko floated to the forefront of Kagome's mind.

"_The wish has been made.._" a voice murmured in her ear. The ghostly miko smiled. "_The demons need a fair ruler who knows of both sides of life; mortal and immortal. You will be that ruler. It will be hard at first.. many may see you as a Hanyou from your new appearance and will think to overpower you. You are however a full demon. Your form was given simply because it is similar to that of the one with whom you are connected to most in this world. Go now and be happy with this new life that has been given to you.._" With that, the voice and image faded from Kagome's mind. She slumped forward and the outside noises came stumbling through her ears.

"InuYasha, what did you do?!" Came Sango's concerned yell.

"I… I made my wish…" he stuttered, as the whole group turned on him.

"No shit, Muttface!" came an irritated growl from across the circle. Kouga had gotten to his feet, his eyes trained on the new form of Kagome. "What the Hell did you wish for??"

"You should know, Jerk." InuYasha growled back. "Every Youkai and Hanyou knows! It is up to every Youkai to pass the prophecy down to their pups." Kouga stopped for a moment before his eyes widened.

"The prophecy…" He and the other wolves looked at Kagome with wide eyes. "She's the one?"

"No shit, ya mangy wolf…"

"What are all of you talking about??" Sango asked in a confused voice. Kagome groaned and sat up, rubbing her head as it felt like a hammer was pounding in time with her heartbeat. Every noise seemed to be amplified and it wasn't helping that all of her friends were screaming at the poor Hanyou.

"Kagome!" Shippou cried as he noticed, leaping to her side and looking up at her with worry. "Are you alright?"

"I.. I think so.. my head is pounding though.. Why are you all being so loud?" She looked up at the group and they immediately quieted down.

"Sorry Kagome." Miroku stated before turning to InuYasha. "You were saying?" InuYasha grumbled and shoved his arms into his sleeves before plopping down cross-legged in front of Kagome.

"The Prophecy is a legend, passed down since the Shikon No Toma was first tainted. Yes, the jewel could be completely purified with a pure wish, but no one was going to make a pure wish. It's against human and demon nature. And so, to fulfill the prophecy, a human or Hanyou would be turned into a Youkai, to govern and rule the others and keep them in place far more than any lord could…" InuYasha paused and looked to his now demonic companion. "You are not a Hanyou, Kagome. No human blood resides in your veins… you are a full Youkai, and our ruler…" His voice trailed off, his eyes locked with Kagome's and for a moment, there was only them. That is, until Kouga opened his mouth.

"Kagome! This is fantastic news!" HE shoved the Hanyou aside and kneeled in front of her, taking her clawed hands in his. "Now that you are a Youkai, our pups will be even stronger! No doubt about it, you're mine!"

"Ugh, I've had enough of this…" Kagome broke eye contact with InuYasha and stood up, glaring daggers at Kouga who immediately stepped back at her menacing stance. "Kouga, this really isn't the time for this. My head hurts, my life's just been turned upside down and mating is so the _last_ thing on my mind." The glare she sent him as she yanked her hands from his hand every demon shivering at its icy intensity.

Silence.

All mouths had dropped to the floor. After a moment, Kouga cleared his throat nervously and looked back at the other wolves.

"C'mon you slowpokes… try and keep up this time…" He stood up and winked at Kagome. "I'll catch ya when you _are_ in the mood to talk about mating. Later!" With that the whirlwind zoomed over the country side. Ginta and Hakkaku looked at Kagome once, murmuring apologies, then headed off in their leader's wake.

"Did he just…?" came Miroku's stupefied voice.

"I think he did…" came Sango's voice.

"Kagome, where are you going?" InuYasha, Shippou, Sango and Miroku looked to where Kagome had been standing, only to see her moving away, walking towards InuYasha's forest.

"I'm not sure…" She kept walking, a glaze falling over her eyes, giving the others nothing else to do but follow along.

Ok, TOTALLY changed it….. Kouga left, so ignore mentions of him in the future chapters I haven't changed yet. I like this version so much better… ANYWOOT, R&R please and thank you.


	3. The Castle and The Dream

So, Chapter 3… More editing yay!

Kagome silently led them through InuYasha's forest, her eyes forward and unblinking as she walked. No one really had a clue as to what was going on, but they couldn't leave Kagome to walk by herself in this daze, so they followed in silence.

InuYasha stared at Kagome's back pensively as he followed. Nose twitching, he picked up her scent. It was stronger now than when she was human, and made sweeter by the demonic blood that now pumped through her veins. He sighed softly. He wasn't really sure what the consequences of his wish would end up being. He had just put a girl from the future, one who had parts of her human life unfinished in her eyes, in a position where she would never fit with the time she came from ever again. As a demon, the sights and smells that never affected her as a human would be more than overwhelming, not to mention that if anyone found out, huge problems would follow. He didn't want to think about what these problems would be so he instead shook his head and concentrated on her appearance. As a human, she had been beautiful, but in this new form, to him she was nothing short of stunning. And if he noticed this, so would every other demon they came across. Not to mention all those who would be drawn to her power. He sighed again and wondered why he hadn't been selfish and just wished for himself to be a demon and saved everyone this new trouble..

After a while, they came upon a seemingly nonspecific spot in the forest and Kagome stopped. The group looked around expectantly, having just been wandering for more than 2 hours in silence. Kagome raised her hand in front of her and the air there seemed to shimmer and shift.

"There's a spell here.." she murmured, more to herself than to the group. She stepped forward and the air rippled as a tingling sensation rode out in waves over her skin. Her hairs stood on end at this strange sensation and then it passed. She looked confusedly back at the others and then quite suddenly, the earth began to shift. In front of her the ground split and started to crumble away. Kagome made a shrill cry of surprise, running back to the group where InuYasha moved protectively in front of her.

"What's happening?" came Sango's voice, though no one answered her. As they stared, the ground rose up again, now free of trees and instead occupied by what seemed to be a castle of sorts.

It had a red-shingled roof and its white walls were crumbled but slowly reforming and flying into place. Finally, the dust settled and everyone stared at this seemingly abandoned building. Kagome slowly walked around InuYasha and, followed by the others who had faces of greatest awe, walked until she was at the base of the marble staircase that led to the oak front doors. As they approached the entrance, the doors opened, revealing young twin demon girls. They both wore plain white yukatas, though the one on the left had silvery green hair that fell smoothly to the back of her knees with dark violet eyes looking up from beneath her bangs while her sister instead had silvery purple hair and astonishing green eyes.

"Our Lady," They said together, "welcome to your home."

The two demon children, Aiko and Airi, weren't the only ones there. There were many demons walking around the mansion, all dressed in the same white garbs of servitude. The twins lead the awe-struck group on a tour of the mansion. It seemed endless, long hallways giving way to open courtyards with gardens and ponds. After being shown their respective rooms, they were lead into the grand dining hall; tapestries were hung on the walls, depicting ancient battles and the different stages of time from when the jewel was first created. There was a beautiful redwood dining table, surrounded by cushioned seats. On the table, a magnificent feast of various meats, fruits and breads was set for the newly arrived inhabitants and, hesitantly, they took their seats.

Kagome, of course, sat at the head of the table, with InuYasha on her right and Sango on her left with Miroku and Shippou sitting next to her.

Once everyone was eating, Kagome turned to Aiko, who was standing beside her. "Aiko, how did you and your sister and everyone else get here?"

"When the prophecy was first told, the demon leader of this land at that time decided to create a mansion for the ruler once they was revealed. All the servants were put into a deep sleep to keep them young and full of life for when they arrived…" Kagome nodded slowly, poking around at the food in front of her and thinking to herself. _'All of this.. is for me? Kami, what do they all expect of me, all these demons who will think me their ruler.. I can't do this, I don't know the first thing about being a demon.._' Her heart clenched painfully in her chest and she felt for a moment like she was going to be sick. She felt a nudge from beside her and looked up to find InuYasha looking at her with curiously worried eyes. She forced a small smile onto her lips and passed off his silent question, going back to eating as Shippou exclaimed over what an awesome place this was to live in.

They talked and ate late into the night. When they finally retired to their rooms, InuYasha sat tiredly on his plush futon. They had never had accommodations this good in all of their travels; his bed almost matched that of Kagome's in the future in comfort. Sighing he took off his top layers and set them on the ground next to the bed. He propped his sword against the side of the futon and crawled under the covers. Despite the plush conditions, his mind would not take the ease his body yearned for.

Since Kagome had become a Youkai, she had become that much more desirable to not just human men, but demon males as well. InuYasha himself had already felt a more intense pull to her than ever before, finding it hard not to stake his claim on her affections. His demon side taunted him, saying he may have missed his chance at claiming her with only Kouga being competition. He sighed and rolled over onto his back, staring at the ceiling. When she had been human, Kagome's scent would unknowingly invite him to her. It would innocently play with his senses and his mind. Now, because of her demon blood, her scent was even more seductive. InuYasha closed his eyes and fell into a fitful doze, his mind refusing to rest.

_InuYasha opened his eyes and found himself in his forest. It was a gorgeous day and the sun was shining through the leaves of the Goshinboku as the wind carried past in a light breeze. InuYasha caught a whiff of Kagome's scent and turned to find her sitting on a tree branch above him. He smiled and she jumped down, landing softly a few feet away. She straightened up and walked towards him, putting her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest, hugging him. He smiled again and wrapped his arms protectively around her shoulders and held her close. He heard her contented sigh as she held herself even closer to him, nuzzling his collar affectionately. She turned her head and looked up at him, smiling in an inviting kind of way, her eyes asking a silent question. He looked back at her and his heart raced as he knew only he could be the answer she was looking for. They leaned towards each other, their lips parted as their eyes drifted closed. Just as their lips were about to touch, the scene faded and InuYasha awoke._

InuYasha looked around his room with disappointment in his eyes. His dream had shown him the image he needed to have some kind of momentary peace with the world. Kagome had been his, he was sure of it. He looked to the door as a soft shuffling sound moving down the hall made its way to his sensitive ears. Had he been human, he doubted whether he would've heard it at all. InuYasha sat up and watched the door as a silhouette passed it. Kagome. '_Where could she be going at this time of night?_' He wondered. He got up, dressed quietly and followed her.

Ooooooo, where could Kagome be off to? A secret rendez-vous? A walk in the moonlight perhaps? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out. R&R please!


	4. Promise

Chapter 4. If you haven't read the first 3 chapters since the 6th of May, re read them now! Changed 2 and 3 again because I didn't like where I had set them going because it kind of crushes some plot stuff so.. yeah. Read!

InuYasha wandered through the halls, following Kagome's scent as she walked alone ahead. He remained in the shadows and reminded himself that he must be even more silent than usual since she now matched, or even bettered him in the hearing department. She finally left the hallways in favor of a small garden set beneath the shining crescent moon that floated in the night sky. It was plain, but beautiful in its own way: a small pond surrounded by pebbles underneath a blossoming Sakura tree. Kagome sat at the edge of the pond, the smooth surface reflecting the light of the moon onto her face as she gazed into the water's depths. She wore a baggy sleeping t-shirt and her hair was slightly ruffled from sleep but to him she looked like a puppy-eared angel. As he watched her, a blossom fell from the tree and landed in the water, making her reflection ripple and fade.

"InuYasha…" He froze as Kagome whispered his name. She had figured out some time ago who it was that was following her. Out of her companions, who would in the dead of night without simply calling out and asking her what she was doing? When she had found the garden, she figured it would be as good a place as any to call him out into the open. She turned and looked up at him with her golden eyes as he stepped out from the shadows into the doorway to the hallway. "Come here, please.. I want to talk to you.."

InuYasha gulped and silently cursed himself for underestimating her senses as he hesitantly walked up and stood next to her, wondering if she was going to 'sit' him for following her. "Have a seat please." He sighed in relief at her careful phrase and joined her at the water's edge. She looked back at the water and ran her fingers over the cool surface. His thoughts strayed to how beautiful she looked in the moonlight. The silver forelocks shone as his hair did and a breeze brushed past as he watched, making the strands momentarily float around her face. Her dog-ears twitched in the cool air and he smiled inwardly, understanding a bit of the fascination she had with the two fluffy appendages of his head. He stared at her until she spoke again. "InuYasha, I.. I have something I want to ask you.." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. He blinked confusedly, raising his eyebrow slightly.

"Sure Kagome, what is it..?"

"InuYasha, I've noticed that today since I… changed… that you seem quieter to me than usual.. You barely spoke at dinner... And almost every time I looked at you, you looked away.. I don't want you to push yourself away from me just because I'm your supposed ruler... I just want you to act normally like before… Maybe without calling me 'wench', but I don't want you to be intimidated by me... I don't want to lose you.." She paused and sighed. "InuYasha," she started again, looking up at him with somber eyes that melted his heart, "will… will you promise me something?"

"Sure… what is it?"

"Will you promise… to continue to protect me? Like you would have if I was still human?" Her eyes were pleading with him. He found himself surprised at her question. She seemed to think that her being a demon changed the base of the relationship they shared, that he would no longer see fit to protect her with his life as he had done since their quest together began. He let out a soft chuckle and she gave him a stern look that showed a note of hurt in her gaze. "What?"

"Kagome, you wrongly doubt me.." He leaned forward and pulled her into his lap. She squeaked but he quickly quelled her shocked noise by wrapping his arms around her and tucking her under his chin. She was tense with confusion and hesitation at first but soon leaned against him, her cheek resting against his collarbone as she curled tighter within his embrace. He held her like this for a few minutes before leaning down to whisper in her ear. "I will _always_ protect you…" He held her tighter, pulling her closer to emphasize his words. She smiled into the Fire Rat cloth he wore and snuggled closer in turn. This was exactly the type of answer she had been hoping for...

When Kagome woke up, she felt so comfortable and warm that she snuggled closer to her source of warmth and tried to gain the happy fog in her brain that was the already receding sleep. Then she realized it was breathing, and beneath her ear was the steady rhythm of a heartbeat. She inhaled and InuYasha's scent filled her nose. It was stronger than she remembered from being human, and she found it easier to define. The forest was definitely in his scent, but also the scent of ozone like the air right after a heavy rain, and a faint kind of mint. She smiled at this comforting combination and opened her eyes only to see the red of the Fire Rat robe. She lifted her head slightly to see the sleeping Hanyou as he took deep, long breaths. His arms were wrapped protectively around her still and she was surprised to find that they were back in her room. She flushed darkly as she figured that she must have fallen asleep on him the night before. She regretfully slid out of his warm embrace and sat up. InuYasha twitched and mumbled, throwing an arm out and pulling her down onto his chest again. He opened one of his amber eyes and peered down at her.

"Good morning…" InuYasha mumbled, and she smiled softly, a light blush tinting her cheeks.

"Good morning InuYasha..." she responded, giving his middle a small squeeze before getting up again.

"Kagome!" he groaned groggily, sitting up as well, "It's early! Everyone must still be asleep!"

"I know, but I want to explore the castle a bit more..." She said, walking to her giant yellow bag and pulling out her school uniform. She blushed as she realized that she had slept next to InuYasha all night while wearing barely more than a t-shirt. Standing up, she turned and pointed to the door. "Now, OUT while I get dressed!" InuYasha grumbled then got up, heading for the door. "Oh, and InuYasha?" He turned and looked at her as he reached the door.

"Yeah?"

"Find the baths. I think you still smell a bit of Naraku." He grumbled again and sniffed his arm, finding that he did indeed smell of the dead demon. He left Kagome's room and asked a passing servant where the baths were. The servant bowed and led him to the baths that were in fact built over a hot spring. When InuYasha had gotten into the water, the servant took his clothes to be cleaned. InuYasha sighed contently and leaned back in the hot water, thinking, '_This is the life…_'

-With Kagome-

After Kagome had gotten dressed, she left her room and, looking left and right decided to wander through the parts of the castle they hadn't gotten to the day before in their tour. InuYasha had been right about it being early, there was near silence throughout the corridors around the sleeping chambers. The sounds of the even breathing of sleep could be faintly heard from down the hall, as well as a faint rustle of cloth. She was just passing the other rooms when Sango exited her doorway and they decided to walk together. Aiko and Airi turned up soon enough and Kagome left instructions that when Miroku and Shippou awoke, they should be directed to join InuYasha in the baths. The girls would take their baths afterward. The twins nodded to Kagome and disappeared.

"How are you feeling today, Kagome?" asked Sango as they walked down a quiet hallway, the smell of breakfast drifting through the air and telling them that the kitchens were somewhere nearby. They subconsciously started to walk in the direction that the smells were coming to, Kagome shrugging and scrunching her nose.

"Alright I guess.. still not used to the sense thing.. Everything is so much.. more; louder sounds, stronger smells and brighter colours. It's a bit overwhelming to be honest, I don't know how the Youkai deal with it all the time." Her thoughts strayed to the times InuYasha had gotten angry because she had hurt his sensitive ears by being too loud and immediately felt guilty.

"Quite the place, huh?" her friend said faintly, looking at the tapestries that hung on the walls they passed.

"Yeah…" Kagome sighed softly. "Why do you think the jewel chose me when InuYasha made his wish?" Sango looked concernedly over at her friend and gave a small apologetic smile as she shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Kagome... Maybe because you have the soul of a strong priestess, it knew you could handle having demon blood to go along.. You _do_ still have your powers, right?" Kagome stopped with a slightly worried look on her face.

"Oh no.. Sango.. What if.. What if now that I'm a demon, all my spiritual energy will be taken away? I mean, I just barely started actually being good at the priestess stuff and now it might all go away!" Sango placed her hands on Kagome's shoulders as the young demon started to panic into hyperventilation, her chest heaving with forceful breaths that seemed not to come.

"Kagome! Calm down! I'm sure it's alright! You have the jewel in your body again, like you did in the future before you came here, right?" She looked down at the shiny pink surface that protruded from her chest. "It still looks pure, and it would only look that way if you were still a priestess and keeping your blood from tainting it, right? Relax!" Kagome's breathing gradually slowed down and eased as the truth of Sango's words sunk in. Sango smiled a bit and pulled the demoness into a sisterly hug. "Just relax Kagome… If we're not sure, we'll go outside later and se if you can still fire your purification arrows, that will prove it once and for all..." Kagome smiled and pulled away from the human girl, taking a deep breath in before slowly letting it out.

"Thanks Sango... I needed that..." They smiled at each other and proceeded down the hall until they finally found the kitchen. There were 5 demons working within, all busy making up breakfast for the new habitants. After getting their breakfast, telling the servants not to bother bringing it to the dining hall since they were there already, they went and found a similar garden to that in which Kagome and InuYasha had talked the previous night. This one had no pond but a small stone dais with benches protruding up as well as a birdbath off to the side.

Some time later, InuYasha and Shippou dropped down from the roof into the garden.

"Oi, wench, where've ya been all morning? Miroku and Shippou have been up for over an hour and you never showed up at breakfast." He crossed his arms in annoyance, glaring down at the two girls.

"We got lunch from the kitchens and ended up eating out here... I'm sorry if I worried you..." She smiled softly at him and he flushed, knowing she saw through his annoyed façade to the concern hidden deep underneath it. He grumbled under his breath and plopped down om the ground in front of the bench the girls had eaten on.

Shippou hopped off his perch on InuYasha's shoulder and jumped into Kagome's lap, chattering loudly about what he had done that morning and the servants he had met. Kagome smiled at the kit, glancing at InuYasha every now and then and smiling a little wider to herself every time. Miroku joined them after a time, complaining that InuYasha and Shippou had ditched him down some deserted hallway and leaving him to ask passing servants if any of them had seen any of the others, more often that not simply getting a silent quizzical look before a soft shake of the head in response. They all had a chuckle at that. Soon enough, the girls left the boys again to go to their own desperately calling baths.

As Kagome slid into the water, she sighed deeply, not realizing just how tense her back was until the hot water began to soothe it.

"Kami, this is perfect..." she all but purred, her ears flattening in a relaxed fashion and closing her eyes. A moment later, her eyes snapped open again as she felt something tweak her ear. She looked up to find a curious Sango closely examining the appendage, fascinated. "Uh... Sango...?" Blushing, the human woman sat back against the opposite side of the spring.

"Sorry..." she said, chuckling in an embarrassed way. "I've always wanted to know what they feel like but I can't exactly touch InuYasha's..." Kagome looked at her with an expression that was startling similar to the one the Hanyou in question would have given at a similar explanation.

"Uh huh…" was Kagome's response, both syllables of the phrase given clear distinction. She chuckled to herself after and soon enough the bath house was filled with the girls' laughter. Little did they know that a certain perverted monk had made a small peephole in the wall while he had been there earlier…

Miroku smiled to himself at his luck that either the steam was blocking Kagome's now InuYasha-like nose, or she simply wasn't paying attention to the scents surrounding her. His luck ran out however when the aforementioned Hanyou nose _did_ find him and the arms attached to the body of the nose's control center proceeded to explain to the monk the errors of his actions.

"Idiot…" muttered Shippou as he watched Miroku try to escape InuYasha's fists. His comment was agreed upon by his two-tailed feline companion as she mewed next to him.

Ok, thought I'd end this chapter on a humorous note. Thanks to all those who reviewed and favorited this story since my reposting it earlier. For those who are re reading this story, don't worry, I'm not getting rid of the few good chapters I managed to write 3 years ago, I'm just editing them so that they fit in and have better phrasing and details. They are coming I promise! Also, yay for a chapter that was a little longer than the others... will try to keep it up, but no promises. Anyway, review please and thank you.


	5. Arrival

Chapter 5, and away we go..

The next few days went by in relative peace. The new inhabitants soon discovered that the castle was in fact larger (if possible) than they had first thought. Whoever had built it all those years ago must've been one of the wealthier lords if he could afford so much land and utilities to be used on a ruler that may have indeed never appeared. Each member of the group seemed to have found their own little corner of the castle to enjoy and frequent;

Shippou, who seemed to have made many quick friends among the servants, would spend most of his time with Kirara in the kitchens. Since the demons in the castle had been dormant for so long, they were indeed behind on the times and quite enjoyed having the kit there, chattering endlessly about the adventures that had taken place since the destruction of the Thunder Brothers and his official induction into the group that was at the time only made up if InuYasha and Kagome. The servants would chuckle to themselves as Shippou told them of the battles that had occurred, including the one with Naraku the previous week, often exaggerating his role in them and making it sound as though he had nearly died in his saving of the others in times of mortal peril.

Miroku could often be seen meditating in the mornings in the small shrine that was located towards the back of the castle. When he wasn't there, it was often assumed, if one was looking for him, that he would be within 3 rooms' distance from wherever Sango happened to find herself. During the times when the demon slayer was not available for him to follow and "accidentally" bump into, he would walk the passages of the library that was also housed there, though many of the volumes would need to be updated if any real reference to recent happenings needed to be looked up.

Both InuYasha and Sango would frequent the dojo that was housed in the center of the largest garden, sometimes alternating though they did take a few chances to spar. The location of the small inner building as well as the mostly open walls made for the perfect place to work until their hair clung to their skin with perspiration. The breezes that passed through kept the rooms from becoming overwhelmingly hot, even in the hottest of midday when the sun beat down on everything that was exposed to it.

Kagome was the most varied of all of them, not really finding one particular spot to settle in each day. She would usually follow whomever she met up with to wherever they were headed until she felt she was boring them with her presence. Even if they insisted she was wrong in this assumption, she would wave it off and move on to somewhere else. The truth was that she didn't really know where she fit in with the group anymore. At least as a human she would have an excuse to sit as Sango practiced in the dojo, not joining in because her defense was found in the bow and arrow. Though no archery range was set up, there were targets found in the storeroom of the dojo, should she choose to take them to set up outside the castle to practice. She shied away from this as well, afraid of what would happen if she shot an arrow and no spiritual energy came from her. She was confident in Sango's logic of course, but was scared nonetheless of what would happen if she was wrong.

Kagome had just been walking towards the library to see if Miroku had found any references to demonic priestesses when Airi and Aiko appeared off a side hall.

"Oh, good morning!" she said cheerfully, smiling at the twins. They both gave small smiles and bowed in turn.

"Good morning, Lady Kagome." they replied in unison. "There is something you must be informed of..."

"What's going on?"

**-Somewhere in the Western Lands- **

"Lord Sesshomaru!" came the squawking call of the toad demon that was Jaken. The lord in question rolled his eyes and looked away from the sight of his ward happily chatting away with Ah-Uh.

"What is it Jaken?"

Out of breath, the tiny demon ran frantically over to his master, the Staff of Two Heads bobbing back and forth with his movements. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he bowed and spoke to the demon lord.

"There is news of the wish placed on the Shikon No Toma!" he said excitedly. At this, Sesshomaru rolled his eyes again, turning his gaze back to the human child and the two-headed dragon.

"And how does this news affect me? I care not whether that stupid Hanyou used it to turn into a human or a demon, neither brings it to my concern."

"No, no my lord!" Jaken replied, bowing again. A raise of his eyebrow was the only indication that his master was listening with any interest at all. "That was not the wish he made! He fulfilled the prophecy, the ruler has been revealed!" Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed slightly as he considered this information. After a moment of silence, he turned and walked back towards his castle, stepping on Jaken along the way without a care.

"Rin. We are leaving." At this, the girl in question immediately stopped her one-sided conversation with the dragon in front of her and instead leaped to her feet. She took Ah-Un's reins and followed her lord, also stepping on Jaken just as he has regained a sitting posture.

**-Back at the castle-**

"Um… what?" Kagome said, a blank yet somewhat disbelieving look playing across her features.

"The lord of the Western Lands approaches." Aiko repeated.

"He shall arrive within the hour." Airi continued for her sister.

"Oh great…" Kagome said, more to herself than the twin demons in front of her. "Well, guess I should go tell everyone… Do you know where InuYasha is?" she asked, turning back to the twins.

"On the roof of the East wing." They replied together. Taking their leave, they bowed then turned in unison to prepare a room for the arriving guest.

Kagome made her way over to the nearest opening in the walls and, with less grace than InuYasha had mastered in his long life, hopped up to the roof. Stumbling a bit as she was taken off balance, she soon righted herself and looked over the expanse of red tiles to see InuYasha off to her right in the relative distance. She carefully made her way over to him, smiling softly as she approached. He sat with his back to her, though he was angled in such a way that she could see his profile and the meditative expression he wore. Wanting to leave his peace undisturbed for as long as she could, she quietly sat down next to him, taking his familiar cross-legged pose and closing her eyes, her ears twitching slightly.

He knew she was there of course. It hadn't taken long for her scent to hit him once she was up on the roof. When it had, he had taken as deep a breath as possible, sighing softly as he exhaled. Oh yes, if her human scent had been heavenly, her demon scent was maddening in its affect. Controlling the jump from his demon blood, he remained as still as he could, his muscles straining to keep him from doing the actions that even now floated through his suddenly Miroku-esque mind…

"Sesshomaru's on his way…"

Images gone.

He growled under his breath. What could his stinking brother want with them now? He had helped destroy Naraku, he had no more reason to be in their company of his own free will.

"What does he want?" the irritated Hanyou asked, cracking one of his eyes open to glance at his female companion. She shrugged, her eyes still closed and a slight frown creasing her brow. InuYasha opened both of his eyes and turned his head to get a better look at her. There were more subtle changes he could see in her face at this close proximity than he had yet to notice. Her cheekbones were a little more pronounced, the smooth curve leading under her eyes and disappearing into her silver forelocks. A slight breeze rustled past and as with the first night in the garden, her hair was lifted to float in an ethereal way around her form. It was quite a bit longer than it had been before, falling in waves to just below her hips as opposed to the small of her back. Eyes moving around her face, his gaze was caught on her lips. They were darker than they had been before, and fuller. He licked his own dry lips as he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Properly at least, not the chaste butterfly touch he had experienced in Kaguya's castle. Would her lips be as soft as they looked to be? What would she taste like?

And her eyes… It didn't register that she was looking back at him right away, being so caught up in looking at her features that he didn't notice her looking curious gaze. Her eyes caught him and didn't seem to want to let go. They were indeed like his in a way, though the colour was much lighter than his deep amber. Around the edges they had a trace of green that seeped subtly into the bright gold, a green that reflected the green of the vast open hills around the village outside of his forest. The colour was almost the exact shade of said green when the summer sun hit it just after midday. The object of his observation gulped lightly under his intense inspection, a blush arising over her cheeks.

"I-InuYasha..?" she asked hesitantly, those fascinating eyes attempting to hide behind the curtain of her long lashes as she blinked and looked away shyly. As if coming out of a trance, the Hanyou 'hmphed' and looked away to hide his own blush.

"Have you told the others yet?" he asked, his voice gruff with a sudden stifling of emotion.

"Oh, uh… no… I figured I'd tell you first…" she responded, her voice as shy now as her eyes. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, waiting for his response. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, so loudly that she thought he must surely be able to hear it. She had been surprised to find him staring at her so intently when she looked around to him. His scent had spiked in a manner she couldn't identify and she had been going to question him when their eyes met. She couldn't pull away from the gaze after that, losing herself in his eyes. Now he was turned away from her again and she found herself to be holding her breath. Letting it out, her head whipped around when he spoke again.

"Go find Sango and the others. I'll wait out front for that bastard of a brother to show up." Before Kagome could respond, InuYasha was off in the direction of the front doors, leaping smoothly over the roof. She sighed and stood up, stretching her legs out and straightening her skirt before unsteadily jogging along the red tiles towards the dojo where she figured the others would be.

Fifteen minutes later, the group joined up in the main entrance hall, InuYasha perched in the rafters in much a similar way as to how he would be in a tree outside.

"Hasn't come yet." was all he said as the group arrived. They all nodded and found various spots to sit or stand in waiting. Kagome found herself leaning against a pillar opposite to where InuYasha was seated and did her best not to look at him outright. Images of his earlier inspection still making her heart speed up.

Finally she saw him tense and heard his low growl, just as Airi and Aiko appeared to open the large front doors.

'_Well, this should be interesting…_' Kagome sighed to herself, throwing one last glance at her Hanyou companion before nodding to the twins. They nodded and bowed in return, turning to open the pair of doors in unison. Kagome shielded her eyes against the momentarily bright glare of the sun before letting her hand fall to her side, walking out to the stop of the leading staircase.

Below her stood InuYasha's half brother, his face looking up at her impassively. Rin looked up at Kagome as well and waved cheerfully from Ah-Un's back and the imp that was Jaken only stared with his tiny jaw dropped.

"So it's you, then." Sesshomaru muttered simply, his voice a monotone. At this, Jaken blanched, leaping to the side in shock.

"My lord! There is no way that this puny human is the chosen one! Look at her, she even appears only a filthy half demon, just like InuYash-AAAH!" his sentence was cut off by his own scream as Rin unceremoniously threw a rock at his head.

"Jaken, be nice to the pretty lady! Hi Lady Kagome! You look different!" she said, turning to continue her wave to the girl in question. Kagome half-heartedly waved back. Her heart had clenched at the imp's words; even if the demon in question didn't matter one ounce to her, this is surely the reaction that would be held by all the demons who were now supposedly expected to fall under her rule.

Sesshomaru ignored his companions and stoically sauntered up to Kagome, towering above her as he inspected her. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice quickly died in her throat. She found her head to be tilted to the side suddenly by a clawed hand as Sesshomaru looked at her more closely. She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment, her ears twitching slightly at the growl she heard from behind her. As she looked up at him, Sesshomaru's eyes momentarily flicked to where she assumed InuYasha was standing behind her, the Hanyou's growl increasing in volume as his brother's gaze moved back down to Kagome.

"It gave you _his_ form." he stated, just as monotone as before. His gaze moved down the column of her neck to where the jewel poked out just below her collarbone. Her blush deepened at the lowering of his eyes and she fidgeted uncomfortably at the feeling of being ogled. The next thing she knew, she was shoved roughly behind InuYasha's back as his growl increased in volume.

"That's more than close enough of a look, Sesshomaru." InuYasha ground out, his eyes glaring dangerously up at his Youkai brother. His nose twitched as the scent of Kagome's blood hit it and his gaze lowered to Sesshomaru's still-raised hand. Upon his claws was a trace of the newly demonic life force and InuYasha whipped around to see Kagome raise her hand to her chin, wincing slightly. A cut was clearly visible there, along her jaw line, and the demoness whimpered lightly as she drew her fingers back and saw her own blood.

"Tsk tsk, now see what you did little brother." Sesshomaru commented dryly, bringing his hand up to sniff at the blood that stained his clawed fingers. "If you hadn't been so thoughtless, she wouldn't've gotten hurt." His eyes sparkled uncharacteristically as he taunted his brother.

"Kagome, I'm sor-" InuYasha's apology fell silent as it was interrupted by a much louder voice.

"Kagome! Are you ok?!" yelled a frantic Shippou as he leaped onto her shoulder. "InuYasha, you idiot, be careful!" he shouted, turning his rage to the silver-haired man in question. This of course only added to InuYasha's anger.

"Ya stupid runt, I was trying to apologize if you hadn't noticed!" He was about to take a swipe at the kitsune when Kagome's quiet voice brought him back to earth.

"It's ok, you guys, it's fine…" Her gaze was on InuYasha as she said this, a faint blush still staining her cheeks. "I'm fine," she continued, turning to look at Shippou and then the others, who were in defensive stances in case the nature of this visit became violent, "I just need to wash the blood off, it shouldn't even need a bandage really… It barely stings anymore…" Without waiting for anyone to make a move, she turned and walked back towards the entrance hall, pausing when she approached Sango, Miroku and the tiny cat-form of Kirara. "Sesshomaru, you're welcome to come inside if you want…" she murmured before walking inside. Sango followed her towards her room, where she knew there was a small basin of cold water that she should use to wash off the blood.

As the women disappeared, InuYasha rounded on Sesshomaru. His brother's calm demeanor only seemed to tick him off even more and he growled loudly.

"What the Hell are you doing here, you Bastard!" he said as he moved to block his way into the castle. The Youkai only smirked.

"I came to investigate the rumors that are going around. Did you honestly think no one would come to see for themselves that the prophecy has been fulfilled?" He leaned in a little closer, his voice and tone dropping to a low taunt that only InuYasha could hear. "Did you honestly think you could keep her all to yourself?" His eyebrow lifted as if to emphasize his implication. InuYasha's eyes first widened in shock, then narrowed in seething hatred as his brother continued. "Be glad that I was the first to arrive, I can at least prepare her for the many others who will soon flock to this castle. Some will intend to do her harm, and others… well, whether for her power or not, others will come here seeking to take her for themselves…" He let his sentence sink in as he straightened up, looking down at the twin demons that had approached.

"We can take your dragon to the stables, if your lordship so desires." Airi, stated, a slight bow accenting her words. Sesshomaru nodded then looked over at Rin. As if by silent command, she smiled brightly and hopped off Ah-Un, running to her master's side as he calmly walked around the shell-shocked Hanyou and entered the front hall, Jaken following close behind. The imp 'hmphed' at InuYasha as he passed, throwing his chin up with a haughty air.

"InuYasha?" came Miroku's voice from behind him. The monk put his now tunnel-free hand on his friend's shoulder, the beads he still wore out of habit shifting with the movement. InuYasha growled and threw the monk's hand off, brushing past him and the kit to follow Sesshomaru inside, determined not to let his brother out of his sight.

In Kagome's room, Sango gently inspected the Youkai's jaw as she dabbed at the blood with a wet cloth. Before her eyes, the shallow cut was repairing itself, soon leaving only a light pink line of abused flesh that would soon fade.

"I could've washed it myself, Sango…" Kagome said embarrassedly. She wasn't used to having such things for her. Her human friend only smiled in response.

"Don't worry about it Kagome. You would've done the same for me, ne?" Kagome smiled and nodded in response before bringing her clawed fingers up to feel the newly mended skin.

"Well, demon healing certainly is useful…" Her friend nodded in agreement then set the cloth down as she leaned against the wall, crossing her arms.

"So, what do you think he's here for?"

"Sesshomaru? I have no idea… I don't think he's a threat; he wasn't in any way hurting me earlier just… looking. It's kinda funny 'cause InuYasha was doing almost the same thing earlier, though he tried not to be so obvious about it…" She sighed softly at the memory, thinking of the intensity that she had seen in his gaze. She shook her head lightly and turned towards the door. "Well, let's go find out why he's here then."

The others had gathered in the dining hall, InuYasha glaring from his spot to the right of where Kagome would sit to the opposite seat where Sesshomaru had seen fit to place himself at where her left would be. Miroku was quiet beside the Hanyou, his eyes drifting nervously between the brothers. Shippou and Rin were talking beside Sesshomaru and Jaken was nowhere to be seen. Aiko approached the girls from her spot by the door with her sister to murmur that an early dinner would be served in a moment and that the lord's dragon and servant were housed in the stables. Kagome nodded and walked to her place at the head of the table while Sango moved to Miroku's side.

"So…" Kagome began awkwardly, eyes flickering to her friends for support. "Um, Sesshomaru… What have you been up to?" The whole table sweatdropped at the question, resisting the collective urge not to let their foreheads hit the table. Even Shippou was looking at her weirdly. The lord pursed his lips and shifted in his seat.

"Let us not, as humans would say, beat around the bush. It is safe to assume that you are not prepared for the many guests you will soon undoubtedly receive and you have no idea how to deal with them or how to great them as a formal Youkai leader." It was obvious she was slightly taken aback by his blunt words and she flushed darkly. She gulped and nodded, suddenly feeling like a child being told they did something wrong. The lord smirked. '_At least she's not stubborn like the half-breed, she can admit when she doesn't know something._' he thought to himself.

"Are you proposing to help Kagome in these areas?" Miroku asked, his eyes hesitant as he spoke. Sango beside him looked equally nervous. The lord smirked wider at this before reapplying his stoic mask.

"I will, if for no other reason than to make sure she does not embarrass us all in front of other clans. She's an InuYoukai, and I will not have that title be sullied by ignorant actions." Kagome flushed even darker now, her posture reflecting the embarrassment and shame she felt at Sesshomaru's words. Seeing this, InuYasha's anger seethed again and he growled. She looked up at him and he shot her a confident nod that made a small smile reappear on her lips after a moment. She cleared her throat and sat up straight again.

"I would be happy to learn what you're willing to teach me about being a leader." she said to Sesshomaru, shooting a glance at InuYasha that plainly showed her thanks.

Dinner was brought out after that and discussions were started on traditions and formal greetings. Kagome listened intently, determined to be a good student. There was also a mention that her demonic abilities would also need to be worked on, but it was dropped for another time in favor of answering the calls of sleep. The guest rooms were in a different wing, keeping them separate from the main inhabitants.

InuYasha was the most relieved of the group at this realization. He knew that sleep would not come if his brother was anywhere near him as he became vulnerable in dreams. And speaking of dreams…

_InuYasha again found himself in a forest. There was Kagome, sitting on the branch above him, giggling and smiling. He smiled and leaped onto her branch, one arm snaking around her waist. She said something to him, still smiling softly, though her voice was strangely muted. She laughed at his confused look and leaned on his shoulder, looking up at him. He returned her gaze, getting lost in the swirl of emotions that were floating through her eyes. He leaned forwards to capture her lips with his own when suddenly she wasn't there. Slightly baffled, InuYasha looked around him, soon spotting Kagome on the ground and looking up at him. She waved at him to join her and he obeyed, landing softly next to her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, bringing her face to his. Just as their lips were about to touch, her face had suddenly turned and he looked up to find another demon behind her, the stranger's clawed hand tilting her chin up to lead her lips to his. InuYasha's heart clenched and just as he was about to yell out for the Youkai to keep his paws off Kagome, the dream faded from his eyes and he found himself alone in his room._

InuYasha growled as the demon blood that was running wildly through his veins rebelled at the image that still flashed behind his eyes. Another demon, making an attempt at claiming what his own heart and soul desired beyond all other things; not that he was prepared to admit it openly. Growling again, though trying to keep it lower to keep from waking those nearby, he left his room and wandered out to the halls.

He paused outside Kagome's door, considering knocking. He noticed that the screen door was open just enough to allow him to see inside, and he looked through it in time to see her roll over in bed, a frown crossing her features. Was she having a nightmare as well? He watched for a moment longer then walked away from the door, heading to what had been his sanctuary earlier that day. He found his same spot on the roof and sat under the moon, a strong breeze blowing his hair in a cloud all around his bare torso. His heart clenched as his dream and the words of his brother resurfaced. Others would come and as he had already feared, they would want nothing more that to take his Kagome as their mate. What would he do if she found someone else?

"InuYasha?" His head whipped around at the soft, shy voice of his angel. "Couldn't sleep?" InuYasha nodded gently, turning his head away again to stare off into the distance.

"What are you doing here?"

"I, uh… I was having a nightmare… when I woke up, I thought I smelled you outside of my room, but you had been gone for a few minutes already… I thought, m-maybe that you'd like some company…" She suddenly looked as though she doubted herself. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you, I-I'll go…" She was turning away as he spoke again and almost missed his words.

"You don't have to." he murmured. She stopped and looked at him confusedly.

"What?"

"You don't have to go." She paused, a little hesitant, but turned around again nonetheless and sat down a few feet away. He glanced over to see the same frown mar her features. He wondered what nightmare could've been so bad that it plagued her in sleep and in wakefulness. They sat there for a long while, neither saying a word and both lost in thought. Though silence was stretched between them, InuYasha found himself enjoying her presence anyway. Finally, Kagome stood up again.

"It's going to be morning soon, we should try for some sleep." A small smile played over her lips and she surprised him by doing something she had never done before. She kissed him lightly on the cheek, a blush staining her skin as she pulled back. InuYasha looked at her in confusion.

"What was that for?" he asked softly.

"For just… being here with me." Kagome replied simply. She smiled at him and waved once more before dropping off the roof and out of sight. InuYasha waited until the sound of her footsteps faded away before bring a hand up to brush his cheek. She, Kagome, the very person who has captured his heart so completely, had given _him_ a kiss. Not Koga, not that weak human from her time, Hojo. Him.

"How pathetic." Said a sly voice from behind him. InuYasha whipped around and saw Sesshomaru crouching there, a bored expression taking place of his void mask.

"What do you want Sesshomaru?" The lord in question stood and nonchalantly brushed a clawed had through his silky silver tresses.

"I was just pointing out that even Kagome, the girl you hold so very close to your heart and protect with your very life and soul, pities you. Why else would she even touch a filthy _half-breed_ like you now that she could probably have whichever Youkai she desired?" He chuckled. " You don't deserve her and you know it. It's only a matter of time until she leaves you and breaks your pathetic heart for another."

"SHUT IT SESSHOMARU!" InuYasha yelled at his brother, his eyes flashing momentarily red as anger coursed through his veins. This lord was challenging his right to the mate he had chosen and his demon flared to just below the surface.

"At least I'm not the one in denial. It's obvious to see you desire her. You want to ask her to be your mate." he scoffed. "The only bigger disrespect would be to try and 'protect' her when after proper training, she could do so easily herself." He sneered once more then jumped down and left before InuYasha could attack him.

InuYasha sat and thought about what Sesshomaru had said for a long time after. His words stung like needles into his flesh and mind and surfaced doubts in InuYasha that he had tried to ignore. A doubtful voice in his head kept whispering '_You know he's right… She, the ruler of the demons, would never want a _Hanyou_ for a mate… You pathetic half-breed…_' InuYasha's hands balled into fists as, for the first time in a long time, tears flowed from his eyes and true sadness sunk into his heart.

Ok, so super long chapter, but I didn't think I could smoothly cut this one into two. I will try to keep up with longer chapters, but I make no promises, except one to try. So now Sesshy's back and making InuYasha doubt himself left, right and centre. Previous readers will recognize the last part of this chapter. I liked how it played out, so I kept it. Anyway, comment and enjoy.


	6. Avoidance

Well, the last chapter was quite a bit longer than the others, and I truly hope I can keep that up. As returning readers will see, I'm trying to switch some stuff around a little bit. My writing has (I think) matured since the first go around so I'm hoping that the story is better as a result. Also, as of late, I have watched some episodes of the anime to keep my inspiration up and better reacquaint myself with personalities. Anyway, continuing…

From that night, InuYasha did his best to avoid Kagome. He knew she would sense the loneliness that had settled over his heart because of Sesshomaru's words. He also knew that she would try to get him to talk about what was bothering him, which could either end in a massive fight or be cut off by his refusal to tell her what was wrong. The latter would only lead her to believe that it was her fault and he knew how hard she would take it. He knew though that his silence was already bothering her.

Kagome stared at her long-time companion from one of the stone benches in the garden outside of the dojo. He was inside, sparring with Sango, and doing everything it seemed to avoid meeting the ruler's gaze. She sighed to herself and sulkily brought herself to her feet, turning to walk to the library. She had been studying there with Sesshomaru for day as he taught her the ways of the InuYoukai leaders. It was a welcome distraction from the sadness that enveloped her thoughts.

She thought now, looking back, that it had been a mistake to even give him a small kiss on the cheek. He had looked so shocked when she had done it and hadn't carried out a full conversation with her since.

'_Is it possible that he still pines after _her_..? She's in the afterlife once more, does he wish he had used the jewel to save her instead?_' She thought back to the nightmare that had awoken her that night. InuYasha had stood over her with disgust written into every crease of his frown.

"_You don't even look like her anymore." _he had said, his eyes narrowing and a low growl issuing from his lips as he bared his fangs. _"It's bad enough that Kikyou's gone again, but now even you couldn't possibly pass as her double. At least if you were still human, I could've fooled myself into thinking I was still with her. It was a mistake to make that wish on the jewel, I should've just wished I were a demon like I had planned all along. Then I would've had one of my life's desires."_

Her heart clenched as the memory surfaced again. The nightmare had returned every night since she noticed his distancing from her, each night becoming worse than the last. The previous night had even shown an image of the life that Dream InuYasha had wanted. He was holding a living Kikyou in a passionate embrace, their lips crushed together as if they'd die from separation. He had torn off the miko's clothing right there in front of Kagome's eyes and as he made love to the now-dead priestess, his golden orbs found hers.

"_This is what I want, what I've always wanted…"_ Dream InuYasha had growled to Kagome, and then his fangs had elongated and he plunged them into Kikyou's shoulder, marking her as his mate as she screamed his name.

Kagome had awoken with a start, sitting bolt upright as her panicked breathing attempted to level out. She calmed down slightly after verifying that she was alone in her room and Kikyou was still dead, but that did not stop the tears that spilled from her hazel eyes ((A/N: I'm calling Kagome's eyes hazel so I can distinguish between hers and the other InuYoukai's since I made hers have green in them too)). She had controlled her sobs enough so that they wouldn't wake any of the others, human or demon. What she hadn't counted on however was a young kitsune coming back from a midnight snack. Shippou had heard her attempts at stifling her sobs, and had entered her room without a word. No explanation needed or given, he had hopped up onto Kagome's bed and had allowed her to hold him as she cried out the rest of her tears. He stayed there all night, stroking her two-toned hair as she slept, occasionally glaring through her wall in the direction of InuYasha's room.

'_That stupid InuYasha. He hurt Kagome again!_' the kit thought to himself as he watched his surrogate mother pass with a glazed look in her eyes. He wondered vaguely what the idiot had done this time; usually Kagome was only like this when he wandered off to see Kikyou. But that clay-pot was dead, so it couldn't've been that. Shippou bounded in the direction that Kagome had come from and headed for the dojo. He arrived just in time to see Sango flip InuYasha over her shoulder and slam him into the mat beneath them. The Hanyou grunted on impact and stayed down. Sango raised an eyebrow, leaning over her sparring partner.

"Are you feeling alright InuYasha? You don't really seem yourself lately… That's the third time in a row I've beaten you today…" She walked around him and offered a hand to help him up. He took it with a sigh and straightened up.

"Trouble sleeping." he mumbled by way of explanation. He grabbed his hoari from its crumpled heap by the wall and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "I'm done for the day, see you later." With that, he left the dojo, a confused Sango staring after him. He wasn't expecting, as he walked out into the sunlight, to be tackled by a ball of fluff.

"Idiot, what did you do to Kagome?" Shippou yelled directly into one of the fuzzy triangles on the Hanyou's head. InuYasha screamed in response and angrily grabbed the kit by his tail and non-to-gently through him to the ground. Shippou quickly got to his feet, glaring up at the source of the ruler's distress.

"What the hell do you mean, 'what did I do to her'? I haven't done anything to her you moron!" he yelled back, growling at the accusation. Why did he always have to have done something to Kagome? Why was it always assumed that her bad moods were because of him? He knew of course that her current sorrow _was_ his fault, but he wasn't going to tell the kit why he was avoiding the girl.

"Then why is she so sad, huh? She's only ever been like that when you've done something to hurt her!" Shippou yelled back, his tiny hands balling into fists. InuYasha growled then swatted the young demon aside, muttering under his breath as he hopped onto the roof and out of sight before Shippou could react. Deciding that he needed a break from the castle's walls, he quickly put his hoari on and fled to the surrounding forest, sprinting in no particular direction as fast as his legs could carry him.

Back at the castle, Kagome remained unaware of InuYasha's disappearance as she practiced a formal greeting in the library under Sesshomaru's inspecting gaze. She was determined to put all her concentration into these lessons to keep her mind off her troubles, and for the time being, it was working. Just as she finished reciting the words the TaiYoukai had taught her, Aiko entered the library, bowing deeply and apologizing for the interruption. Kagome waved it off, saying they had just finished.

"I am here to inform you, Lady Kagome, that another guest has just arrived at the front doors." The servant bowed again as she said this and Kagome paled slightly at the announcement.

"Good. This is your opportunity to put into practice what you have learned." stated the stoic lord beside her. Kagome's heart thumped loudly in her chest at his words as nerves took over. What if she messed up in front of another demon leader? She had been trying really hard to get it right , but she could tell by Sesshomaru's pursing of his lips that she still hadn't gotten it down pat.

"My lady…" Aiko murmured, gesturing for Kagome to follow. The Youkai in question gulped loudly and followed, Sesshomaru a few steps behind her. As they walked into the entrance hall, she visibly relaxed as her eyes fell upon a familiar pack of wolves.

"Kouga…" Kagome said in greeting, relief evident in her words until Sesshomaru cleared his throat loudly behind her. She turned to look at him, her confusion obvious.

"What have I been teaching you these past days?" he asked in an irritated tone. Kagome blanched, looking over to Kouga then back to Sesshomaru.

"But… But I already know Koug-"

"This matters not. The fact that you know him already only means there will be less loss of respect should you get the greeting wrong." Sesshomaru said, cutting her off. She flushed darkly then nodded. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the others enter the hall as well, minus the absent Hanyou. She wondered at this but focused instead on her formal greeting. She stood up straight and walked towards the wolves' leader, inclining her head in a small bow of recognition. He smiled back and inclined his head in turn.

"Welcome, Master Kouga, Pack Leader of the Wolf Tribes." Kagome said to him, trying to keep the nerves out of her voice. She could feel Sesshomaru's eyes drilling into the back of her head. Pushing the feeling aside, she swept her right hand out to the side as a display of the hall as the lord had told her to. "You and your pack are most welcome in my home. Please enter in peace and find comfort in your time here." She flashed a look to where Sesshomaru stood. The demon lord only nodded stoically in a sign of approval. Kagome breathed out a sigh of relief then turned her eyes back to the wolf. He was smirking in an impressed kind of way and taking his cue, bowed deeply to her.

"Many thanks, Lady Kagome, Ruler of Youkai, for your gracious hospitality. Might I say, you look even more stunning than usual…" His blue eyes met hers as he straightened up, smirking wider at the flush that painted her cheeks. He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a lingering kiss on her knuckles. She blushed even darker at this and took her hand back as soon as would be appropriate.

'_Dear Kami, this is over the top, even for him..._' she though to herself, clearing her throat nervously. "Uh, thank you Master Kouga… Aiko and Airi will now show your pack to their rooms if you so desire." Kagome berated herself as her voice trembled a little. It was probably good that InuYasha had not shown up for this, albeit strange. She couldn't really invite the wolves into her home "in peace" if their leader was attacked right away by one of the castle's inhabitants after all. Kouga nodded and winked at Kagome, indicating to his pack with a tilt of his head to follow him. Kagome noticed that Ginta and Hakkaku were among the humanoid of the pack, as well as a few others, including a depressed-looking Ayame. Kagome smiled slightly in apology over Kouga's actions, but Ayame just shrugged and gave an I'm-used-to-it look in response.

As the wolves were led out of the hall, Sesshomaru turned to leave also, Rin, having come in with Sango and the rest of their group, followed her lord with a smile after throwing a wave back to the others. Kagome turned to look at those who remained, Shippou jumping up onto her shoulder.

"That was really good, Kagome!" Shippou announced proudly. Sango nodded in agreement and Kagome smiled in thanks.

"Have you guys seen InuYasha? I'm surprised he didn't show up for this…" There was evident disappointment in Kagome's tone and everyone noticed. Even if he was avoiding everything about her, his presence was still a comforting one and she felt a little lonely without feeling him close by.

"Last time I saw him was in the dojo a while ago." Sango replied, looking over at Miroku in concern. "How about you Miroku?" He shook his head with an apologetic look.

"I haven't seen him either, not since this morning at breakfast. Shippou?"

"I saw him a while ago, after he left the dojo… He jumped up onto the roof and disappeared though." he responded, feeling a bit guilty. What if the idiot had left and it was all Shippou's fault? Then Kagome would be sad forever and there would be nothing he could do about it! "I kinda yelled at him right before he left…"

"Yelled at him? About what Shippou?" Kagome asked, taking the kit off her shoulders to hold in her arms. He looked away guiltily, fidgeting with the pelt around his small waist.

"For making you sad… You've been sad for days and I know it's all that idiot's fault, but he wouldn't tell me what he did! I'm sorry Kagome, I didn't mean to make him leave, I promise! I just didn't want you to be sad anymore…" He sniffed lightly, looking up at the demoness with tearful eyes. She smiled gently and hugged him.

"Thank you for trying to help Shippou… He didn't do anything wrong though, it's my own fault that he hasn't been himself…" She shook her head at the quizzical looks the others sent her. She didn't want to explain what had happened or the nightmares that had plagued her since. Sighing, she handed the kit over to Miroku and turned in the direction of her room.

"Kagome? Where are you going?" Sango asked, taking a step to follow her friend. The look in Kagome's eyes stopped her though.

"I'm going to go look for him… I'll be fine on my own, and I'll be back well before dark. If Kouga or anyone asks where I am... please just let them know I don't want to be followed right now." She turned again and walked off alone towards her room where her bow and arrow lay unused beside her bag. '_I'll take it along, just in case. Even if my powers are gone, I can at least do something to protect myself._'

It was a long while before InuYasha stopped running and when he finally slowed to a walk, he wasn't exactly sure where he was. He shrugged off this minor detail however and launched himself into the treetops, settling into a familiar, comfortable seated position. He understood Shippou's anger, for the same anger at himself burned in his own heart. He didn't want to stay away from Kagome, but every glance at her brought up Sesshomaru's words.

He closed his eyes and pictured his dream from that night. A handsome demon, claiming Kagome's lips in a kiss whose passion should have only been reserved for him, the Hanyou who loved her more than anything. And yet… Could he deny her happiness? What if Sesshomaru was indeed correct and she found love with another? Could he be so selfish as to keep her from love and a family, even if it was with another, someone who would never understand her? He sighed to himself. To be honest, InuYasha didn't have the answers to his own questions. He wanted Kagome to be happy, but he didn't know if he would be able to live knowing someone else had the only thing he has ever desired so much. He sat in his tree for a long while, unaware that the object of his thoughts was at that very moment concernedly looking for him.

Kagome was having a somewhat hard time tracking InuYasha's scent through the forest, though she had been able to make some headway. The forest was so laced within his scent that while it was easy to trace in the castle, among the trees it blended in with the natural smells of the outdoors. Every now and then Kagome was able to spot signs of his passing through the trees and that would help her move forward a little but the time passed slowly as she followed InuYasha's path.

'_Where could he have been running to?_' Kagome asked herself as she looked up from a bare, clawed footprint in the dirt to the direction in which it headed. The scent she was following was starting to get stale and she became slightly worried that soon she would have no scent to follow at all. In a very InuYasha-like fashion, she cursed under her breath and continued forward. Despite her slow progress, the light in the sky was beginning to fade and, noticing this, she bit her lip. '_I promised I'd be back well before dark... But I can't just leave him out here. Who knows when, or even if he'll ever come back…_' Sighing, she continued her tracking, starting to get a little uneasy from the sounds of the forest.

She didn't know if it was just her imagination or not, but Kagome could've sworn that she kept seeing eyes leering at her from the ever-growing darkness. She stopped for a moment to collect herself, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. Doggy ears swiveling like radar disks on top of her head, she let her body settle to concentrate on what was around her. She could feel the presence of many animals and insects in the immediate area, as well as hear their varied movements. Farther in the distance, there were traces of other demons: lesser Youkai, whose auras brushed innocently against the very edges of hers. Then, there was a flicker. Something familiar, just out of her aura's reach, and her heart sped up.

Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself running in that direction, with only one thought in her mind.

'_InuYasha._'

The Hanyou hadn't moved since he first hopped up to his current perch. So lost in thought was he that he somehow managed not to notice the familiar scent that was steadily growing stronger. He only snapped out of his stupor when her voice caught him from the distance. She was calling his name and he looked in the direction of the sound, remarking somewhere in the back of his head how dark it had gotten.

"Over here." InuYasha called out to her. A minute later, he saw the subject of his thoughts and avoidance make her way clumsily through the trees.

"InuYasha…" she huffed breathlessly, stopping beneath him and looking up with her hazel eyes that glowed in the last rays of the sun. "Where have you been? You disappeared…" He shrugged, his eyes forcibly blank as he looked down to her. The disappointment was evident in her face, even in the bare twilight. He heard her softest of sighs as her shoulders sagged in sadness.

Kagome could feel her heart fall. This _had_ been a bad idea. She bit her lip in an attempt to hold back her whimper that would lead to the tears that sat beneath the surface. Her thoughts were cut short when the man above her spoke.

"Oi, wench. You gonna just stand down there or are you going to come up?" Though his words seemed heartless, there was a softer undertone to them that barely registered in Kagome's saddened mind. He knew she was upset and he knew it was his fault; worst of all, he didn't know what to do about it.

"I… I can't." She felt even worse now. She may've been able to get to the castle's roof, but she couldn't even jump into a dumb tree.

"Yes you can." InuYasha whispered, looking down and catching the girl's eyes. "Crouch down and jump. Easy as that." She blushed under his gaze, and though any human wouldn't be able to see it in the complete darkness that had settled, his enhanced vision easily saw the colour rise in her cheeks.

"O-ok…" she muttered, trying to steel herself to do just that. With a deep intake of breath, she jumped as hard as she could. Unfortunately, she underestimated her demonic strength and jumped a little more than twice the distance that she needed. Squealing as she whipped passed her target, she narrowly avoided the higher branches in the tree. In desperation, she reached out and grabbed onto the nearest branch, clenching her eyes shut in fear. "InuYasha!" she screamed as she hung there, fear overtaking her saddened scent.

As she had shot past him, InuYasha's first reaction was to inwardly chuckle. She didn't know just how strong her legs were now. And speaking of those legs, it was those long sensuous legs that he had the briefest pleasure of viewing that had a familiar feeling of heat starting to pool below his gut. These thoughts were cut off however by her shriek. Trying to block out the perfect panty shot he was getting, InuYasha looked up at Kagome.

"InuYasha, help me!" she cried again, tears starting to spill from her closed eyes.

"Ok, just relax Kagome! Do you trust me?" He shifted his body so that he was more stable among the branches as he waited for her answer. She however just shrieked again as the branch started to snap with her weight.

"What does that have to do with anything? Just help me down!" she cried, flailing her legs in annoyance until her branch creaked lowered suddenly.

"Do you trust me? Answer the damn question!"

"Fine, yes, I trust you, just get me down!"

"Let go!"

"WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY?" The branch creaked again and Kagome frantically looked up at the last sinews that held her in the air.

"Trust me, jump!" InuYasha growled, starting to get irritated. The girl above him, choked back a sob and seemed to give in.

"Fine! I'm gonna let go!" She once again steeled herself up and looked up at her hands. "Here I go! One… T-two… Three!" With that, she let go. The branch groaned back into its original position, or as close to the snapped branch could. She dropped like a weight, waiting for the feeling of her bones being crushed from impact with the hard ground. This feeling never came however, and was replaced by strong arms snatching her out of the air and pulling her tight against a warm, muscular body. She clung to it instantly, sobbing into the hard chest in front of her as nails dug into the shoulders and arms that held her.

"I told you to trust me…" a warm voice murmured into her ear. InuYasha pulled himself and the sobbing girl back into his branch, blushing slightly as Kagome remained clinging to his front with her new claws digging into his frame in such a way that was causing the previous heat he experienced to spark again. He cleared his throat meaningfully and regretfully pried the girl away from his body, setting her on a close-by branch where she could lean against the body of the tree as he did. "Feeling better now?" he asked when she settled into quiet stillness.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Kagome responded, though her mind was in turmoil. 'She_ wouldn't've panicked… _She _would've calmly gotten down herself… I'm so weak…_'

InuYasha knew she was hiding her true feelings behind those words. He sighed softly to himself then mentally cursed as her ears swiveled forward to hear him then moved to lie flat against her skull. He sighed a little louder this time and stood up on his branch, holding his hand out to her.

"Come on, we should head back." he said flatly. She looked up at him with sad eyes but nodded nonetheless and took his hand. Upon landing safely on the ground, InuYasha offered to carry Kagome home, which she quietly accepted.

When they finally arrived at the castle, there was pandemonium in the form of a squealing Shippou. Kagome brushed his questions off with the sad look in her eyes and the others decided not to press her for answers. Kouga however, showed up and made the situation worse than ever. After a heated dispute between InuHanyou and OokamiYoukai over the treatment of the wolf's "woman", InuYasha disappeared again, stomping down a back hall with his head down and eyes hidden beneath his silver hair, all the while muttering about the "wench who didn't tell him the stinking wolf was there". Kagome stared after him sadly and after a look at Kouga who suddenly fell quiet, she walked off as well.

Kagome found herself searching out InuYasha's scent again and found him at the garden they had met each other at the first night. The sight that met her was heartbreakingly beautiful. InuYasha stood at the edge of the pond, staring at his reflection with a shadowed expression. The moon highlighted his hair and the light reflected off the pond's surface to cast his features into sharp relief.

Kagome hid herself behind a wooden support post and watched as he growled and leaned down to punch the surface of the water, splashing it everywhere and dispelling his reflection. His face held a look of deepest sorrow and anger.

"Filthy _half-breed…_" she heard him whisper angrily, tears threatening to fall from his amber eyes. Unable to stop herself, Kagome stepped out from behind the post.

"I-InuYasha…?" InuYasha whipped around, surprise evident in his eyes even as his fangs bared in a startled growl before he saw who it was. For the second time that night, he had been so lost within himself that she had been able to sneak up on him.

"K-Kagome? W-what are you doing here?" he asked, quickly recomposing his face into a neutral expression.

"I was worried about you. I went looking for you to find you, and you had gone so far away… I thought you might not even come back with me." Kagome replied, taking a few steps closer to the Hanyou in question. She was looking straight into his eyes, as if searching them for something. "What's wrong, InuYasha?"

"Nothing, it's nothing…" he said, turning around and facing his back to her again. Suddenly, he felt the warmth and weight of Kagome leaning on his back as her arms slid around his chest. She rested her head on InuYasha's shoulder as she hugged him, making InuYasha blush slightly. Even in his recent mood, he was finding her warmth and the feeling of her steady heartbeats and breaths against his back quite comforting. He gently closed his eyes, letting her warmth and scent wash over him in waves. How long they stood there, he didn't know. After a while, Kagome moved around in front of him, lifting his chin with her hand so that his eyes met hers.

"What's wrong?" she asked him again, concern clouding her green and gold eyes. InuYasha wanted to tell her then: tell her about his nightmares, about what Sesshomaru had said, about how much he yearned for her in so many ways, but he found he couldn't.

"I-I…" he started, still staring into her eyes, "I can't… I-I don't…" He fought with himself. In order to tell her what was wrong and cease the tension between them, he'd have to admit that he wanted her for his mate and he didn't know how she'd react to that. He saw disappointment seep into her eyes as he let his half-started sentences fade into the night.

"I'm here to help you, InuYasha, don't forget that. I hate the thought that you can't be open with me and let me help you." Her eyes saddened considerably, making InuYasha feel as though his heart was being ripped in two. "I want you to trust me… You asked me to trust you earlier and I did…" His heart clenched and the unintentional guilt trip. She leaned forward again and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him into another warm hug, her head resting in the crook of his neck. InuYasha slowly wrapped his arms around Kagome's back, bringing her close. He buried his nose in her raven hair, letting her alluring and calming scent fill his nose.

'_Oh, Kagome… How do I tell you what's wrong? It's not anything you did, I just don't want to hurt you or the relationship we already have if you don't feel the same way…_' InuYasha thought, holding her tighter still. His eyes snapped open though when he smelt the salt of her tears.

"Kagome? Please don't cry… You know I _hate_ to see you cry!" InuYasha pulled back and gently wiped the tears away from her eyes with his clawed thumb, his gazed never leaving hers. Her eyes looked devastatingly beautiful with the light from the moon reflecting off her tears and making her golden orbs sparkle.

"InuYasha?"

"Yes?"

"Do you… Do you miss Kikyou? Is that what's wrong?" InuYasha blinked and let a small smile cross his lips.

"No Kagome. She's gone, and she belongs where she is now. I only wish that she's finally in peace… No more than that… Please don't cry…" Kagome sniffed and a small smile found its way to her lips. She leaned forward again, resting her head on his chest and closing her tired eyes. InuYasha quietly stroked her hair, thinking to himself about the happenings of the day. He realized that Sesshomaru was wrong, something he should've known from the beginning. What did he know about her anyways, that stupid brother of his. Kagome didn't pity him. She cared for his wellbeing, just like a good friend or _mate_ would do. He smiled at the thought. Maybe one day he would have what he desired, but for now, he was happy just holding Kagome in his arms.

Ok, another long chapter so yay. Just kinda trying to work old chapters into the new ones, and I really liked how I had originally ended this part of the story, so I kept it. Review!


	7. Learning

Sooo, what did everyone think of the last chapter? Good? Not good? Anyway, I got this awesome book full of profiles of all the InuYasha characters, which I'm hoping will help me more accurately write my story. Away we go!

Over the next few days, things were a little closer to being back to normal; or at least as normal as the lives of the castle's inhabitants could now be. Reports were coming in daily that Youkai Clan Leaders would soon come to present themselves to their new queen and offer alliances. This made said 'queen' very nervous, but she dealt with it as well as she could. It was easier to relax a little since InuYasha had stopped avoiding her like the plague, but he still seemed hesitant and held back in her presence. He spent a lot of time alone on his spot on the roof and even when he was inside, Kagome would see him often look wistfully out towards the forest.

He hadn't left the castle again like he had the other day, but Kagome was starting to think that maybe that was what he needed. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by a stubborn Sango as she dragged the demoness to the dojo.

"You've been putting it off since this whole thing started!" Sango stated loudly as Kagome produced stuttering excuses not to pick up her bow and arrow. True, she had taken it with her when she had gone after InuYasha, but she hadn't had reason to fire it and her questionably present spiritual power had yet to be tested in her Youkai form.

"C'mon Kagome, it'll be fine!" cheered Shippou from his stance on the ground as he pulled on Kagome's sock to get her to move. Had InuYasha been present, he might've thrown the resisting girl over his shoulder and simply carried her, kicking and screaming, to the dojo. This was not the case however, and so it was another 10 minutes before Sango got Kagome to the dojo, the girl finally giving in and glumly walking the last corridor to the garden of her own accord. Another 10 minutes later and the archery targets were set up on the outside lawn to the south of the castle. Miroku and Kouga ended up following along, with a nonchalant Sesshomaru and an ever excited Rin joining them soon after.

'_Just what I needed, an audience…_' Kagome thought to herself as she picked up her bow. She took a deep breath and decided to shoot some normal arrows first, just for practice. Knocking an arrow, she raised the bow and drew the string back in well-practiced movements, her mind calming to a muted state of thought as her eyes closed softly. Being a demon might be hard, but this was easy. This is what her soul had always done, even when it was in another body. With an almost silent exhale, her eyes snapped open and fixed on the target as her clawed fingers released the taught cord. By the time her exhale had expired, a soft _thud_ was heard as the arrow hit the target within the yellow center circle. Not a perfect bull's eye, but she smiled nonetheless as the cheers from her audience hit her ears. She knocked another arrow and let it fly, watching as it landed to the left and slightly below the last one. She looked at the sky as a strong breeze blew past and noticed a figure standing on the roof.

InuYasha stood at the edge of the tiled roof, watching Kagome shoot arrows with the grace he could remember from his days with Kikyou. He hadn't thought of the dead woman until Kagome had mentioned her the night he had run off, but he had to admit that seeing the ease that Kagome now had with archery had brought up old memories. Their eyes met for a moment as Kagome's gaze had traveled upwards. He watched as the breeze ruffled her hair and clothing, his own hair framing his vision as it floated around him. She broke their connection first, reaching for her next arrow. He watched as, with steely resolve, Kagome took aim once again.

Eyes closed in concentration, Kagome searched within herself for the powers that had been hidden beneath the surface for the first 15 years of her life. Her heart beat faster within her chest as she felt a telltale warmth spread to the tips of her fingers.

"Now…" she breathed and released her third arrow, not needing to open her eyes and see the burst of pink light that enveloped her projectile to know that it had worked. She felt it, stronger and more powerful than ever. There was a general yell of approval from the group watching her and Shippou ran up to her, bouncing excitedly.

"You did it Kagome!" he squealed loudly, jumping into her arms and hugging her. "Told ya you could do it." She held him and smiled.

"Thank you for believing in me Shippou." Kagome replied, glancing up at the roof only to see the red-clad figure had disappeared. She sighed softly but put her smile back on as Sango ran up to greet her, followed by Miroku and Kouga. She was complimented by each of them, receiving only a distant nod from Sesshomaru as he turned back to the castle. Soon enough, the arrows were gathered and the targets stowed once more in the dojo.

"You might need to get a new bow soon." Sango stated as she inspected the weapon. Kagome frowned.

"Why?"

"This wood won't hold up against your new strength." She held the bow up for Kagome to see, pointing out stress points. "See here, how it's started stretching too much? A couple more pulls and you'll snap it into pieces." Kagome sighed at her friend's comments. She and that bow had been through a lot together, Kaede had given it to her and it was the one she had used to defeat Naraku.

"Maybe Totosai can make you a new bow." Shippou offered as he licked bright green lollipop that Kagome had given him.

"Maybe…" she murmured in response. Her mind however wasn't on the maker of demonic weapons, but instead on the wielder of one of such weapons. '_Maybe he's just restless being in the castle so much… He's used to being outside and he's been cooped up for days… _ Kagome excused herself from the group and followed InuYasha's usual path to find him on the roof again.

Sunset was casting a golden tint over the silver of InuYasha's hair, his eyes trained on the expanse of forest that eventually bled into the one named for him. He missed home, a lot… The castle was nice and everything, but he longed for the familiarity of his forest and the Goshinboku. His ear twitched as he heard Kagome walk up behind him. He expected her to sit next to him as she had done before when she found him there, but she remained standing. Responding to her silence, the Hanyou turned his head to look up at her. She was looking as he had been over the forest.

"You're not comfortable here, are you?" she murmured as her eyes met his. He shrugged softly in response. "I'd rather be back home too, this is all new to me as well… I'm scared out of my wits of being, well, what you've turned me into…" At this statement, InuYasha's ears retracted to lay flat against his scalp, a small whine of guilt escaping his throat as he looked ashamedly at his hands. Finally, Kagome came closer, crouching but not sitting beside her companion. "I don't blame you InuYasha. You didn't know this would happen to me… It was a wish that needed to be made and you did it." Her hand moved to touch the smooth surface of the jewel that protruded from her collar. "The jewel can't be used to hurt anyone anymore."

InuYasha sighed at this. Kagome may not blame him, but hearing her confession made him blame himself. He pushed someone he was supposed to protect into a world she didn't understand, nor would completely understand for a long time. She hadn't even mastered her own physical strength yet. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. Kagome saw this deflation of spirit and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, guessing generally where his thoughts had led.

"I have an idea…" she started again and InuYasha turned his gaze back up to her softly smiling face. "Tomorrow, we can go out, just the two of us. We'll take the day away from here and go for a run or something in the forest… You can teach me to run and jump like you do. How does that sound?" Her smile widened as a soft mirroring smile spread slowly over InuYasha's lips.

"I'd like that." InuYasha murmured, a blush starting to rise over Kagome's cheeks at his soft tone. "You might want to get a change of clothes though. You don't want to go running around in the forest in that skirt…" They both flushed at his comment but Kagome nodded.

"Yeah, guess you're right… I'll look for something better. Meet here after breakfast?" He nodded and she stood up, waving gently as she turned. He watched her go and waited a little longer before getting up as well and walking to his room for the night.

Kagome didn't go directly to her room. She knew that she didn't have anything that would suit leaping through the trees at high speeds. She instead sought out the twins, finding them leaving the baths after having escorted Rin and Shippou there with Sango for their nightly bath.

"I don't know if the lord who put this place here thought of leaving clothing here too." she started after the servants asked what she needed. "I'm afraid my clothes aren't suited to the, uh, new me. Do you think you could point me in the right direction?" The twins smiled softly at her question and simply nodded in response. They led her to a corridor that was off to the right of the shrine and opened a seemingly ordinary, unmarked door. It turned out to be a closet of sorts, with various styles of clothing inside, for men and women. Clearly, it was not known which gender the ruler would be, and the lord had wanted to be sure that they were well taken care of either way. The twins walked to the very back of this room and there, behind a pane of glass, was the most beautiful kimono Kagome had ever seen.

It was fashioned like a priestess kimono, much like Kikyou used to wear, but this was much more beautiful. The hakama were a deep royal purple as opposed to the traditional red. The hoari was a pale pink with a sakura pattern adorning the left shoulder. The sleeves were wider than usual with a shining gold trim that trailed out past the edge of the sleeves. The ensemble was topped off with a gold sash much like Sesshomaru's, instead of an obi, that came together in a bow at the front then flowed down past the knees of the hakama. A pair of slippers that matched the hakama completed the ensemble.

"It's made from Moon Silk. Like the robe of the Fire Rat, it withstands fire, repairs itself when torn, and is stronger than any armor. All stains disappear and it will grow with you so that you will need no other robe." Airi explained. Kagome continued to stare at it until she found her voice.

"This… This is for me?" Kagome asked softly, seeing the twins nod in her peripherals

"It was made for you." Aiko replied. Kagome looked shocked but nodded. All three girls carefully moved the glass cover and Kagome reached out to touch the beautiful cloth in front of her.

She was surprised to find that it felt so light that it was barely there at all, as though made from smoke and air. She carefully picked up the outfit and the three went back to her room where Kagome could change. She was delighted to find that it fit her perfectly, as though it had only just been made and tailored. She slipped on the slippers and turned to look in the mirror propped against the wall. She could barely recognize herself; she did indeed look like royalty in the kimono.

The twins excused themselves from her room after her profuse thanks and Kagome gently slipped out of her new clothes, laying them gently on a stool at the end of her bed. She crawled into bed after that, an excited patter growing in her heartbeat and a soft smile on her lips as she allowed sleep to claim her.

They met the next morning as agreed, after informing the others of their plans. Upon seeing Kagome's purple-clad form, InuYasha's breath caught in his throat. She seemed to be his opposite, in her hoari and hakama that were much like his; she was the yin to his yang, dark hair and deep violet contrasting with his silver and red. To say that she looked beautiful would've been an understatement, and Shippou loudly exclaimed the praise that was going through InuYasha's head, although with more innocent tones. Looking her up and down, he could feel his blood stirring, calling out to her and silently begging for her to answer his call. She must have sensed this heated gaze because when she turned to face him, her face went a light pink and for a minute she couldn't meet his eyes. Getting a grip on himself, he suggested that it was time they headed out and she shyly agreed.

Soon enough it was just the two of them, walking steadily towards the tree line. Kagome could feel the mounting excitement of her companion, rolling off him in waves as they neared his place of freedom. They walked past the first line of trees and InuYasha took a deep breath, turning to Kagome and pausing briefly.

"You ready for this?" he asked, barely controlled eagerness lacing his words. Kagome blushed a little at his knowing smirk, the tip of one of his fangs poking out over his bottom lip.

"Ready when you are." she replied, keeping her voice steady. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest with ascending anticipation as InuYasha's smile grew.

"Let's start at a jog to begin with, hm?" Kagome nodded and indicated for him to lead the way. As suggested, they started at a gentle lope, InuYasha's movements far more graceful from years of practice.

Kagome kept relative pace with InuYasha, though her movements were much more hesitant. With the demonic strength she now possessed, each stride seemed that much longer as she kicked off the ground and this threw off her balance and confidence. She tripped a lot, her eyes on the ground as she stumbled for places she thought were best for her footfalls.

"Relax, Kagome." came a husky voice in her ear. Not realizing InuYasha had gotten so close because of her attention to the ground, Kagome misplaced her foot as her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat. This, in turn, caused her to trip on a protruding root. With a short yelp, she found herself falling towards the ground only to be caught at the last moment by InuYasha's arms. Without breaking stride, he wrenched her back to her feet and pulled her along with him. "Relax," he repeated, still holding on to one of her arms, "stop thinking about it so much. Your body will know where to land, just feel it."

Kagome blushed again and tried to do as he asked. It was easier to take some attention away from the ground with InuYasha holding onto her arm; trying to follow his movements, they soon melded into a smooth rhythm as their steps fell in sync. Getting a little bolder, Kagome started putting more speed and power into her strides. InuYasha caught the changes and kept pace accordingly, a wide grin spreading across his features. Kagome gave him an answering grin and his heart leapt. He let go of her arm and she smiled wider as they still stayed in time.

"Ready to move up a level?" InuYasha called, his grin turning into a challenging smirk. Kagome saw this and defiantly smirked back.

"You bet!" she replied, a laugh issuing from her as they dodged a large tree. Without a moment's pause, InuYasha took his next stride to crouch down. Kagome seemed to see his next move in slow motion as his silver tresses flowed around him with the sudden drop in speed then fly behind him as he shot into the air like a rocket. A gasp escaped her and she stopped to watch him soar through the air. Sure, she had seen him jump hundreds of times before, but there was just something about that moment that awed her. Maybe it was the soft smile that graced his lips at his feeling of true freedom as the air rushed past; maybe it was seeing his grace with new eyes. Kagome didn't have the answer as she watched him land on a tree branch a short distance away, straightening and throwing another smirk back at her, his chest heaving with exhilaration.

"Think you can do that?" he called, his voice teasing. She snapped out of her moment of awe and considered his question. To be honest, she was scared out of her wits to jump like that. Seeing her hesitation, the Hanyou leaped his way easily back to her and held out a clawed hand. "C'mon, I'll help you." he murmured, his voice light and a faint blush creeping to his cheeks as she reached out to take his hand in hers. Nodding gently to him, Kagome allowed InuYasha to pull her forward into a run again. Her heart hammered in her chest from the feeling of her hand being clutched in his and from the thought of jumping who-knows-how-high into the air.

"I dunno if I'm ready for this yet…" she called to him as they ran. He could feel the hesitation coming back into her steps and he knew she'd trip again if that happened.

"You can do it Kagome, it'll be fine. You trust me, right?"

"Y-yeah, but…"

"It'll be fine." he said again, cutting her off. Looking forward, he saw that they were coming up to a small hill that led to a dip in the earth. '_Perfect._' "Get ready, we're gonna jump!"

"InuYasha, I really don-"

"Crouch and push off as hard as you can… NOW!" InuYasha pulled her down with him as he crouched and, with her shriek ringing through the air, they took off. Looking to his side, he saw Kagome more scared that ever before and then the fear in her scent hit him. She started to curl up out of fear, and he knew if she did, landing would be much worse. As gravity started taking effect again, they started to plummet.

Without hesitation, InuYasha yanked on Kagome's arm, causing her to jerk towards him. He caught her bridal style in his arms and reduced the shock of landing by taking a small leap off a sturdy branch, still making it crack loudly, before landing squarely on the forest floor. Pausing for breath, he looked down as the girl in his arms, who currently had a death grip on his shoulders.

"Kagome?" he asked softly. The girl in question didn't move or make a sound. Cautiously, he tried to get a look at her face. "Kagome, please, say something…" She answered him by pounding him square in the chest with her fist and scrambling out of his arms.

"Don't EVER do something like that again! You idiot, SIT!" she screamed. InuYasha fell to the ground with a loud _thud. _She whirled around so that her back was to him and sobbed into her hands. InuYasha threw himself up once the spell wore off and was about to yell at her in turn when the scent of her tears hit him. His anger sputtered to nothing at the thought of how scared she really must've been. Whining softly in the back of his throat, InuYasha picked the demoness up again and carried her to a small nook at the base of a tree, sitting cross-legged and placing her in his lap. She resisted at first but soon slumped in defeat and resorted to clutching to his hoari. They sat there for some time as he rocked her gently back and forth, whispering comforts and apologies into her ears. After a while, Kagome's crying stopped and she pulled herself away from his embrace.

"Sorry…" he murmured one last time, putting a clawed finger under her chin to see her face. Sniffing loudly, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"S'ok…" she muttered, sighing deeply and moving to get up. "I just… Wasn't expecting it." They stood up together and InuYasha wiped the remnants of her tears away with a clawed thumb.

"Think you want to try it again? Smaller jump this time, I promise." Kagome looked up at him critically before slowly nodding.

They set off at a run again, Kagome staying a little farther away from InuYasha than she had earlier. He held back the growl that threatened to erupt and cursed himself for pushing her too fast. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noticed that it was starting to rain: nothing too heavy, just a drizzle here and there. His thoughts on the weather were cut off by Kagome's voice calling out to him.

"I'm gonna try a jump." Looking ahead, InuYasha searched for perches to jump to.

"Try that tree there, on the left with the knot about halfway up. If you can, try to jump to the knot and use it to push off to the first thick branches." Kagome nodded and sped up a little to get ahead of InuYasha.

He watched with concern and a tiny spark of curiosity and pride as Kagome took a deep breath and leapt as he had done before. With a small inner cheer, he saw her jump almost perfectly, scrambling a little on the knot, but making the jump anyway. She landed on the branch and threw her arms out for balance, catching herself on the body of the tree. He followed her movement with his own and landed beside her.

"How did that feel?" he asked softly, waiting for her to turn so he could see the look on her face. When their gaze finally met, InuYasha felt his blood boil within his veins once more. The mischievous glint that sparkled in her heated gaze was enough to make him want nothing more than to push her against the bark she leaned on and make a different heat flare up…

"That was… wow…" If he had felt arousal at the look in her eyes, the way her voice came breathlessly from her lips coupled with the rosy colour of her cheeks nearly drove him mad. Clearing his throat, he angled his body so that she wouldn't see the evidence of what her image did to him.

"That's, uh… That's what I was trying to show you earlier." InuYasha half muttered. The rain was pouring harder now, a steady stream that was starting to soak the companions' clothes. "C'mon, let's try to find shelter for now." Kagome looked to the cloudy skies, her hair starting to cling to her skin before she nodded in agreement. They soon found a relatively dry spot at the bas of a tree that had broad leaves that acted like giant umbrellas.

They sat in silence for a while, both staring at different areas of the cloud-blackened sky. The silence between them was broken by a timid question voiced by Kagome.

"Hey InuYasha?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I have attacks, like you and Sesshomaru?" InuYasha's gaze fell to her pondering face at the question.

"I can't imagine why you wouldn't." he muttered softly. "I mean, if you really are the 'queen of the demons', it only makes sense that you would. Why?" Kagome shrugged gently, hazel eyes still trained on the sky.

"Would you… Would you help me find out if I do?" Her eyes finally turned to meet his, but he was unsure of the look behind them.

"Uh, sure, I guess…" Kagome nodded in thanks at his response, going back to staring at the sky.

An hour went by and the rain slowly started to let up, breaks of blue sky sneaking between the remnants of the storm clouds above the pair. InuYasha was the first to stand up and venture out from the cover of the tree, shaking his head in a very dog-like fashion to get rid of the moisture that still remained.

"There's still a couple hours before nightfall, do you want to try out your powers now?" he asked, looking back at Kagome. She nodded determinedly and stood to join him. They ran through the damp forest once more, looking for a clearing wide enough to encompass two presumably fighting demons. InuYasha had a hold on Kagome's arm again, just to be sure. The ground was slippery after the rain and neither was sure Kagome was yet ready to catch herself.

Upon finding a suitable space, the demons turned to face each other from opposite sides.

"Ok, so to get you to use your powers, we're going to have to fight each other like we mean it, alright? The only way to get them out the first time is to be fired up. You have to fight me like I was an enemy." Kagome looked slightly shocked at this.

"What? What if I actually hurt you though?" she said, concern lacing her voice and scent.

"It's the only way to get you fired up enough." InuYasha replied simply, shrugging off her concern. She eventually nodded in agreement, concern still showing in the way her lip was caught between her fangs. "Ready?"

"I guess…" Kagome replied. InuYasha nodded and lowered into an attacking stance. He watched as Kagome readied herself, her face set in concentration. She tried to imagine InuYasha as an enemy, willing herself to believe he was in his full demon state, angered and filled with bloodlust. She took a deep breath and nodded to him. She mirrored fighting stance, waiting for him to make the first move.

After a few moments, InuYasha started running towards her, claws ready. Kagome braced herself and clumsily blocked his first attack, backing away slightly from him as he came at her again, throwing a punch at her jaw and missing by only millimeters. Kagome managed to dodge everything he threw at her until a well-aimed kick that hit her side, throwing her to the right a few yards, landing on all fours. Getting up quickly, she dusted herself off and readied herself for InuYasha who came just a moment later. Her eyes narrowed and she ran to meet him but instead of attacking him right away, she jumped over him, flipping in mid-air and placing her hands on his head to push him forward a bit before landing behind him and kicking his back, sending him face first to the ground. He landed with a _thud_ and Kagome turned to face him, standing in a crouched stance with her hands out in front of her, ready to attack. He got up and turned to her again before lunging at her. She leapt this way and that, getting used to the pattern that InuYasha subconsciously followed. She dodged when he lunged for her, letting him throw himself off balance and did a roundhouse kick, sending him flying a few feet away, landing on his back. He sat up and brought his hand up to his lips where a small trickle of blood was trailing down his chin. He looked at the blood on his claws then looked back at Kagome.

Kagome was totally unprepared for his Blades of Blood attack and, fast as she now was, had her skin grazed by the crimson blades. There was now a cut across her left cheek, on the side of her right thigh, and two on each arm. She barely dodged InuYasha's next attempt to scratch her face and he lunged again. His jaw was clenched and his eyes never left hers, for if they lost eye contact at that point, both would have miscalculated and end up being hurt more than necessary. It was as though they were dancers, and they were dancing the most spectacular dance, practiced yet improvised on the spot. It would've been amazing to watch, but it was difficult to do. Soon, both were panting and growling. InuYasha decided to try a verbal assault to get her attacks out.

"Come on, Kagome! I would have thought the '_Queen of Demons_'would have been able to finish me off easy! Maybe you were right, you don't have any powers. You need to rely purely on your miko attacks. Pathetic!" He could tell his taunting was putting him on thin ice at this point. Kagome was getting angry, her face twisted in a snarl as she continued to back away from him. She started throwing more punches at him and he was starting to slow down his pace of attacks to block her. "Come on Kagome, show me you're _worthy_ of being a demon!"

Kagome suddenly jumped straight up above him. She crossed her arms in an x shape over her chest then pulled them out, sending glowing blue blades towards him and shouting "_Crescent Blades_!" InuYasha managed to dodge most of the blades but a couple found their mark as he landed on the ground a few feet away from the stunned Kagome. She was staring at her hands, her eyes wide and her breath still shallow.

"Did I… Did I just do that?" she whispered. She looked up at InuYasha who was clutching his side where one of her blades had hit him pretty deep. Blood flowed between his fingers as he stood there and Kagome was by him in an instant. Apologies spilled from her shocked lips as she tried to tend to his wound. He quickly brushed her away.

"Kagome, stop it! I'm fine!" She stopped and stepped back, her bottom lip once again caught between her fangs in concern.

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking to be on the verge of tears again.

"Yes, I'm fine. It worked, didn't it? What did you call your attack?" Kagome stopped and frowned, thinking of when she had attacked.

"Crescent Blades…" she murmured, staring at her hands again.

"Well, I don't know how many attacks you have, seeing as Hanyous only have two, _maybe_ three. I know Sesshomaru has at least four attacks, both with his claws and his sword, plus his demonic form. Kagome nodded, still staring at her hands.

"Should we start again?" she asked after a moment, looking back up at him. He checked his side wound, seeing it was almost completely healed then looked back at her and nodded. They took up their fighting stance once more and their battle begun again.

It was just before dusk when they finally stopped their practice. InuYasha and Kagome were exhausted, but really rather pleased with the day's events. Kagome had figured out three more attacks over the course of the afternoon: she now had Crescent Blades, which sent glowing blue blades at an enemy; Ice Claws, which sent sharp icicles; Thunder Punch, which was self explanatory and a Fire Whip, which was much like Sesshomaru's Light Whip, only it burned flesh on contact and glowed red/orange.

The trek back to the castle went slower than their venture into the forest had been. After a while, InuYasha opted for carrying his exhausted companion. She rejected the offer at first, saying he was just as tired as she was, but gave up after the consecutively stumbled over 3 roots and 5 rocks. Eventually they broke through the forest and InuYasha entered the front doors as the moon started to rise into the sky. Airi and Aiko met him in the front hall but soon let him walk off alone to Kagome's room. The girl in question had long since fallen asleep on his back, and he carefully deposited her in her bed, brushing stray locks of hair away from her face before leaving her to rest.

He sighed as he crawled into his own bed, the events of the day flashing in his tired mind. They had not fought today; they had danced. The most dangerous dance where even the smallest misstep could be fatal. He smiled and wondered when he could do it again, eager to dance with her once more.

Wow, all done! Well, this chapter anyway. Sorry for the wait, and sorry that I don't really talk about what the others get up to, but this _is_ an Inu/Kag fic… I'll find some way to make it all fit. Anyway, comment please.


	8. Others

Ok, so I know it's been a while yet again, but I've been having trouble figuring out how to put in everything I want into the story. Hope it turns out alright. Away we go…

The peaceful slumber of an unusually happy InuYasha was broken the next morning by the sounds of hurried feet and voices passing his door. Groggily, he sat up, his ears swiveling forward to try to catch the words when his door was suddenly drawn aside. A tired-looking Miroku poked his head in, straightening his robes.

"InuYasha, wake- oh, you're already up. Good. C'mon, more TaiYoukai have arrived, 4 of them from what the twins say. Kagome is already on her way to greet them outside, let's go!" His job as informer done, Miroku disappeared from the doorway, leaving a half-asleep Hanyou trying to piece together what he said. As soon as he was alert enough, he leapt from the bed, heading, not for the door, but for the window where he promptly jumped onto the roof and bounded towards the front door.

The sight that greeted him was one he could only vaguely remember from the days when his father still lived. The front clearing of the castle grounds were littered with horse-drawn caravans and demon lords of various colours, heights and forms were stepping out onto the grass. They each acknowledged each other with brief nods before collectively making their way towards the front steps. As InuYasha watched, they all stopped as the doors opened and Sango, Miroku and Shippou stepped out into the open. Kouga came after them, followed by Sesshomaru. Halting the growl that rose to the back of his throat, InuYasha leapt down in time to land with a soft _thud_ in front of Kagome. Their eyes met for a moment and with a silent agreement, Kagome remained behind InuYasha's protective stance as they held back.

"Lord Sesshomaru." greeted a blue-haired demon with scale markings adorning his skin. He had apparent shock upon his features as he considered the dog-demon. "The Jewel chose you? But you are neither Hanyou, nor human! How is this possible?" At this accusation, Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

"It's not him you dope." came another voice from the clearing. A small man with dark brown skin and astonishing red and black hair that stood up in spikes on top of his head stepped out from the group. His jade eyes immediately went to Kagome and InuYasha, a soft smirk playing across his lips. "Over there." All eyes moved to the couple still standing at the top of the stairs.

With a small huff, Kagome set her shoulders and stood up straight. InuYasha moved out of her way to let her walk past him down the stairs, falling directly into step behind her and passing watchful eyes over the new arrivals. She passed a thankful glance to him as they reached the others before coming to a stop in front of her group.

"It chose me. I'm Kagome, former guardian priestess of the Shikon No Toma." she stated as steadily as she could, looking up (and down in the case of the redhead) at the TaiYoukai who had come to investigate. There were five men in front of her, though only 4 were TaiYoukai. She considered the newcomers as they in turn considered her. Farthest on the left was the small one; his jade eyes were startling against his bright hair and dark skin and down his forehead were three pointed black lines, with a forth running across them. Catching Kagome's eyes, the small demon bowed lightly, never breaking eye contact.

"Lord Takeshi, my lady." he said as he straightened up. "Leader of the Porcupines to the south-east. My people send their pledges and blessings to you and we humbly offer quills from our greatest warriors." He bowed again, retreating to his caravan and returning with a handful of ivory spikes that each looked to be around three feet long. Kagome blinked and threw a questioning glance to Sesshomaru. He nodded minutely and she quickly stepped forward and took the spines from the man, bowing as she accepted them.

"Thank you for your gracious gift, Lord Takeshi." As she stepped back, Sango stepped up beside her and took the spines from her so that she was free to move to the next lord.

The next man who stepped forward was the blue-haired demon who had spoken before. His brown robes made a stark contrast with the ponytail that sat high on the crown of his head. On each shoulder, the pattern of red claw marks cut through the brown. His armor consisted of a silvery breastplate than also had the scale markings that adorned his skin and matching shin- and arm-guards from which protruded small spikes. Matching spiked brass knuckles adorned his hands as he restlessly flexed his fingers.

"Lord Fuyu, at your service." He bowed lowly and from the sound of his extended "s", Kagome guessed what kind of demon he was. "TaiYoukai of the Lizard tribes of the north. To you, we present armor made from scales of our own clans." As Takeshi had done, Fuyu fetched his gift and presented it. The armor consisted of arm-guards similar to his and a breastplate that was to be worn underneath clothes as a base layer of protection. Again Kagome thanked him for his gift and handed it to Sango, who had a look of wonder for the glittering armor.

After the serpentine Fuyu, the largest man Kagome had ever seen stepped forward. He was the most unique demon that had been seen in the group's long years of traveling; he wore robes like the priest robes that Miroku donned, only they were a pale blue, almost white. His head, instead of having waves of brilliantly coloured hair cascading to his shoulders, was completely bald, and even a little shiny. As he bowed, Kagome could see his marking on the back of his head, stark white against the medium tan of his skin: the print of a bear's paw.

"Yuuto, my lady." he murmured. He smiled as he rose and Kagome found herself smiling back, even as he reached his full height, which seemed to be eight feet tall. "The title 'Lord' is not necessary, dear one."

"Alright Yuuto. As long as you will call me Kagome." The large demon smiled and inclined his head.

"As you wish, Kagome. I come representing the bears of the western shore shrines."

"Shrines?" asked a confused Miroku. "But you are demons… How do you keep shrines? Or rather, why?"

"We are of peace, young monk. Because of this, we need not be purified. My gift to dearest Kagome is from our shrine." From the folds of his robes, Yuuto brought out a string of prayer beads that shone white in the sun. "Our highest honor, these prayer beads are made from the pearls that the ocean provides for us. May they bestow the peace of the waves into your heart…" The bear bowed once more and Kagome accepted the gift with a deep bow of her own, wrapping the beads around her wrist in the same fashion that Miroku did. Yuuto smiled at this as he stepped back, a kind glint in his eye.

The last of the TaiYoukai stepped forward and bowed as well. This man had short, light brown hair and olive skin that accented the dark green teardrop marking on his forehead. The eyes that shone from beneath his bangs were a fierce bronze and his fangs poked out as he grinned at Kouga before fixing his stare on Kagome.

"Lady Kagome," he began, "I am Shinobu, leader of the Jackal tribe on the other side of Lord Kouga's mountains. With me is my son, Katsuo." He stepped back to present his son who stepped forward to greet the demoness.

Katsuo looked much like his father, short light brown hair that shone gold in the afternoon sun, accented by his olive skin. The eyes that took in Kagome's features were quite opposite though; dark brown/purple, almost black, but instead of being fearful of the gaze, Kagome found herself admiring the colour that sometimes glinted if the light caught it. Adorning his left cheek was one jagged mark, green like his fathers, and accenting his handsome face.

"My lady…" he murmured as he bowed, an awed tone tinting his breathless voice. Kagome found herself blushing lightly at the tone of his voice but quickly righted herself and bowed to the two lords.

"For you, my lady, we have brought a steed worthy of the queen you are." Shinobu nodded at his son who, after flashing Kagome a brief smile, ran to one of the caravans that was alongside theirs. A moment later, he was walking back towards the group, followed by a truly magnificent beast. Their gift was indeed a steed, a pinto horse spotted black and white with a muscular body and standing at around 20 hands high; this was bigger than any horse Kagome had ever seen or heard of.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Katsuo said, sending a wink at Kagome as he stroked the horse's muzzle. So lost in awe, Kagome nearly missed the low growl that issued from behind her. She didn't need to turn to know it was InuYasha who was upset at the young lord's flirtatious behavior. Throwing what she hoped was a glance that clearly said "calm down", Kagome walked up to the horse, hesitantly placing a hand on her flank and gazing up into the horse's chestnut eyes.

"She is... What's her name?"

"Mizuki. She is our finest horse, and fastest by far, in air or on land." Katsuo told her proudly, gazing at the beautiful creature.

"In air..?"

"She flies…" he murmured in response, his eyes catching Kagome's as they had before. She quickly blinked and broke the contact, shy at the awe gazing at her. "I can teach you to ride her, if you wish." Kagome shrugged in what she hoped was a neutral way. She had ridden on Kirara a few times before and on InuYasha's back, but she wasn't sure about her horse-riding abilities. Remembering that there was still a rather large group around them, Kagome bowed to each Jackal in turn and thanked them for their generous gift.

Taking her place among Sango and the others, Kagome thoughtfully looked over the lords.

"Thanks you all, very much, for coming today and for your wonderful gifts. I will cherish them always." At this, all the lords bowed to her in unison. "I would invite you each to stay in the castle for the duration of your visit, but I'm afraid there aren't that many guest chambers. If you wish to stay, and you are comfortable in your caravans for the night, you are of course welcome inside for meals and to visit daily." The lords all nodded in general acceptance of this offer and Kagome turned to take her gifts into the castle. "Breakfast is ready inside for when you're settled." she said with a smile before walking back up the stairs, surrounded by her group, including a very ticked off Hanyou. Airi and Aiko emerged to take Mizuki to the stables.

In her room once more, with Sango following and closing the door behind her, Kagome was free to inspect the gifts she could bring with her. Picking up the armor, she held it close to her to look at the craftsmanship.

"Sango," she called, "how valuable would something like this be in your village?"

"More valuable than you can imagine, these scales make better armor than I've ever seen. They might even stop a straight arrow to the chest, but they're extremely light and easy to wear. The arm guards would even act as good protection against the rebound of your bowstring." Sango turned to the pile of quills from the Porcupine. "And speaking of, these might be perfect for a new bow, Kagome. They're light and flexible enough to make a good bow that won't crack from your strength. You should get InuYasha to take you to Totosai sometime, maybe on that flying pinto." At this, Sango grinned mischievously. Catching the grin, Kagome lifted an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked indignantly.

"That young lord Katsuo had eyes and a smile for you…" Sango almost purred, the Cheshire grin spreading across her face from ear to ear. At this Kagome blushed and attempted to brush it off with a roll of her eyes. This didn't deter Sango though. "You should've seen InuYasha's face, I thought Lord Katsuo would burst into flames from the glare he was getting."

"Look, Sango, all of the lords were just… doing their duty. They each came with a gift and they each had a smile for me, they were all just shocked that the jewel chose a woman. I don't know why they would be, it was made from a priestess. Here, help me put this armor on." Kagome quickly changed the subject and it seemed to work because Sango was instantly there working on the clasps.

Kagome took off her haori and Sango helped her buckle into the chestplate, which continued around the back as well, creating a solid protective embrace without hindering her movement. She was delighted to find that it all fit, even though the lizards couldn't have known her size or shape. She buckled the arm guards on with no problems, happy that the spikes along them could be folded down so they would catch on her sleeves. She rewrapped her new prayer beads then pulled her top back on, happy that she could wear her gifts easily.

The two women went into the dining hall to find Sesshomaru talking with Fuyu of to the side, the jackals talking to Kouga andTakeshi and Miroku talking to the gentle Yuuto. Looking around, Kagome spotted InuYasha off in a corner, glaring at the lords. She broke off from Sango and went to the angry Hanyou, placing a hand on his shoulder as she approached his side.

"You ok?" she asked softly. She got only a small 'keh' in response and frowned at her stubborn friend. She rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to the others. "Do you think you could take me to see Totosai? Sango thinks I should get a bow made from the porcupine quills because they won't break."

InuYasha shrugged in response, which Kagome took as a yes. Knowing she wouldn't get much more out of him right at that moment, she left and walked towards where Miroku, Sango and Yuuto were talking.

Breakfast was an interesting affair that morning, with the jumbled group of beings breaking off in random sections according to where the various conversations led. Jaken, Shippou, Rin and Kirara made their way into the groups as well and it seemed everyone was having a good time, except for InuYasha. Katsuo even tried starting a conversation with him at one point, but soon gave up from the clipped tones and glares he was receiving. Eventually InuYasha disappeared from the hall. Kagome frowned but figured she would leave him to his own devices that day, if he was going to be so rude to these nice lords.

"Lord Katsuo, why don't you take Kagome for a riding lesson?" Sango asked at one point, throwing a smile at her friend. The jackal agreed and soon enough they were outside the stables, saddling their mounts. Katsuo also had a horse, the one that had been pulling his father's caravan, a chestnut stallion by the name of Kenta. Once saddled, Katsuo offered to help Kagome onto her horse but she waved this off, saying she'd need to learn to get up on her own anyway. After a few minutes of struggling, she sat on Mizuki's back, gripping her reins and marveling at the feel of the horse's breathing and heartbeat that were both clearly felt in the demoness' legs.

"So, what do you know about riding?" Katso asked, looking quite comfortable on his horse. Kagome readjusted her posture and ran her fingers through the horse's mane.

"Well, I know about riding in theory. I learned about it in sch- I mean, when I was younger. I just haven't had a lit of chance to put it into practice." Katsuo nodded and looked around the lawns that surrounded the castle.

"Well, let's just get some practice in. Follow me." With an encouraging call and a gentle nudge to his horse's flanks, he bounded forward, a look of glee taking over his features.

Kagome copied him and gasped as her mount started forward at a fast trot to catch up. Getting a stronger grip on the reins, Kagome came up beside Katsuo, her posture jarring a bit against the horse's movements.

"Relax! Fall into the movement of Mikuzi's stride!" he called, sending her a wide grin. Kagome got a brief flashback to InuYasha telling her much the same thing from the day before and she flushed in remembering the husky tone of his voice in her ear. Shaking it off and bringing herself back to the present, Kagome did as she was told and relaxed into her mount's stride, finding it much easier than what she had been doing. Soon, she had a giant smile on her face too and even encouraged Mizuki into a gallop, shooting a wide smile at her companion who let out a laugh that resonated deep within his chest. It became a contest to see who could go faster and soon, both demons were laughing in excitement. With a hard jab into Kenta's middle, Katsuo disappeared from Kagome's side. Surprised, she pulled back harshly on the reins in her hands, making her gallop pull into a stop. She looked up to see her riding partner 30 feet above her, floating in the air.

"Woah…" Kagome whispered in awe.

"Come on up, my lady, it's wonderful up here! Mizuki knows what to do, just get her into a run then say "Up". After a while, she'll learn your movements for when you want her to fly, but for now you'll have to tell her." Once again Kagome did as she was told and within moments she was in the air, looking over the rooftop of the castle. For a moment she thought she saw a flash of red, but it disappeared before she could get focus on it. It wasn't hard to figure out who it was though. Kagome flew up to join Katsuo and they continued their friendly ride in the skies.

Down on the ground, the flash of red that was InuYasha watched the pair in the sky fly over the forest, his expression caught between anger and deep sadness. He sighed as he stepped into the dojo, needed to vent on the poor punching bags that resided inside.

The part that was angry was seething in his brain; how dare this demon lord think he could muscle in on his territory, winking at his Kagome and making her blush. Dammit, she should only blush like that for him! He should be the only one making her smile like that, and laugh from the pit of her heart in true happiness.

The sadness however only made the anger's stab run deeper… How many times had Kagome been in his position, running to his supposed-to-be-dead lover? How many times had he seen in Sango and Miroku's glare just what pain he caused her? Besides, who was he to deny her someone who probably would make her smile every day and never get her angry, no matter how cute she was when fury claimed her?

Unable to resign himself to defeat, he allowed the anger to take over once more, drowning out his sorrow. He would not give up on Kagome while there might still be a chance for him. He nodded to himself and sulked off to his room. For now, there was nothing he could do but watch, and wait, and show Kagome that he was in the running as well.

The flying companions returned a few hours later and steered their mounts to the stables once more. During their flight, they had talked about many things; Katsuo's life, Kagome's journeys with the Shikon jewel (She left out the details about the well and being from another time of course. She wasn't ready to go boasting that about.). They talked about being a demon, but the Jackal also was very interested to how Kagome had been as a human, and how different she felt.

As Kagome took the saddle off Mizuki's back, she caught Katsuo considering her intently.

"Um… Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"You haven't… you haven't shifted form yet, have you?" Apparently her stumped expression answered his question because soon he was standing close to her, inspecting her face. "You haven't changed yet. We've heard of the awe-inspiring forms that InuTaiYoukai take from legend and though all TaiYoukai can transform, it's said to be quite a sight for the likes of, say, Lord Sesshomaru."

Kagome considered his words thoughtfully. She had seen Sesshomaru transform and, though terrifying, she could understand the awing quality to his larger form.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"No markings yet…" he murmured in response. Unthinking, he brought a hand up to trace light fingers over her cheek where marks would presumably be.

At this touch, Kagome faltered, blushing profusely and quickly clearing her throat while turning her face and gaze away. Katsuo seemed to realize his mistake and quickly retracted his hand, taking a step back and crossing his arms behind him while he cast his gaze to the ground in what was supposed to be formal respect.

"I apologize, my lady. That was inappropriate and unacceptable. Please forgive me." The sudden change in the tone of his voice and the stiffness in his following bow threw Kagome off, but she couldn't say she wasn't relieved. She had only known this man for a day and though their few hours together had made him a friend in her respects, such an intimate gesture was a bit too much for her to handle at that moment.

"It's, uh… It's fine Lord Katsuo… Don't pick up that formal stuff again, we're friends now… Right?"

"Friends? Friends, yes. I'd very much like to be your friend, my lady." A shadow of his former grin passed over his lips and both knew the moment had passed.

The rest of the day passed in a happy blur for Kagome. Her newest guests were all very interesting and each had stories that they loved to tell around the dinner table that evening. InuYasha was there, and this time at least trying to be more social (inwardly knowing that it would upset Kagome if he wasn't, and he wanted to be as far into her good book as possible with this new male for competition). Takeshi seemed quite ecstatic when Kagome told him Sango's idea for a use of his quills and he bowed profusely at her for giving his clan such an honor. Fuyu also commented that he was glad she took a liking to his gift and that it fit her and the night ended overall on an amicable note.

After dinner, each being said goodnight and headed off to their various sleeping quarters. Kagome had just passed InuYasha's door when it slid back and InuYasha stepped into the hall.

"Kagome." he called. She stopped, surprised, and turned to see him. He had evidently already been getting ready for bed for he was shirtless and he was running a clawed hand through his shining silver hair in a combing fashion. Kagome felt herself begin to blush as she forced her eyes to stay on his face and not travel to the tanned expanse of his bare torso.

"Yeah?"

"We'll go to Totosai's tomorrow, if you want."

"Oh… Yes. That would be great InuYasha, thank you…" It looked like he had more to say to her but after a moment of waiting, he murmured a 'goodnight' and retreated back into his room, his eyes downcast. Kagome wanted to question him further, but as she walked the doorway to his room, the door firmly shut, effectively cutting off any remark she would have made. She stood there for a moment, her hand raised to push the screen back but with a sigh, she stepped back. She had hoped they had gotten past the need for InuYasha to hide from her, but apparently she had been mistaken. She retreated to her room and closed her own screen with a heavy heart.

InuYasha had stood behind the door the whole time, watching her silhouette and silently wishing he had the courage to go to her again. He heard her sigh and inwardly cursed the lost moment they could've shared.

'_Oh well._' he thought as he climbed into bed. '_I have tomorrow, as long as no one else invites themselves along._'

The next day, the rising sunlight was filtered through a thin haze of grey clouds as InuYasha knocked on Kagome's door. It was early, and most of the castle was still sleeping. InuYasha hoped this could let them bypass having people ask if they could come along, namely anyone wanting to budge in on _his_ quality time with the demoness. The girl in question sleepily shuffled to the door and pulled back the screen, squinting up at InuYasha through sleep-filled eyes.

"InuYasha? What are you doing up so early?"

"It'll take us a while to get to Totosai's, so I figured we should head out at early as possible." He kept his voice to a low murmur, smiling inwardly at the disheveled state of Kagome's hair and pajamas; she was so cute all tousled like this. She yawned, her fangs glinting in the pale light and scratched the back of her head.

"Alright." she said groggily. "Go have breakfast or something, I'll be out in a few minutes." He nodded as she turned back into her room, shutting the screen behind her. Doing as she suggested, he made his way to the kitchens to get some food.

There were two morning servants there, already working on breakfast, so he grabbed a roll and munched it as he watched them work. In a stroke of uncommon forward thinking, InuYasha requested of the cooking demons to put together a pack for lunch since, presumably, they wouldn't be back in time to eat with the others.

A half hour later, the two dog-eared demons made their way towards the front door, talking in hushed whispers. The ever-reliable Airi and Aiko had miraculously shown up just in time for Kagome to let them know what was happening some time before. Stepping out onto the front steps, Kagome took a deep breath of the cool, watery morning air, sighing contently and looking up at the sky. Over her shoulder was her old quiver, which she used to carry the quills. She didn't know which ones would be best, so she simply brought them all, their hollow weight causing no trouble on her shoulders.

"Do you think it would be faster to fly?" Kagome asked, still looking up at the sky.

"Well, sure, but unless you can magically sprout wings and carry me along with you, that ain't happening." InuYasha responded sarcastically. Kagome rolled her eyes and turned off towards the stables.

"Katsuo taught me how to fly on Mizuki yesterday, it'll be easier for us if we take her."

"But you still need practice running and jumping. You're far from pro, and this'll give us the chance to get some lessons in control." InuYasha called to her retreating back.

"We'll do that while Totosai's busy, I'm sure he doesn't like people sitting around watching him work." Kagome called back as she disappeared into the stables. InuYasha pouted and crossed his arms in a huff.

He had nothing against the horse itself; it was a beautiful creature and would, as Kagome had said, make their traveling much easier. It was the fact that she was so quick to jump on the chance to use that Jackal's gift that had him miffed. Her eagerness might send the Jackal some mixed messages, that's all. He might start to think that she _likes_ him. Of course, she couldn't already right? She was just being friendly; respectful, even, to her new guests and followers. And it was a good gift, something she could use. So lost was he in thought that he barely noticed the huge creature trotting towards him until it nudged him on the side of the head at Kagome's encouragement.

"Are we going?" she asked, slightly impatiently. He was the one, after all, who had awoken her at the crack of dawn and now he was zoning out on the front lawn. InuYasha looked up at Kagome, not realizing before the staggering size of her new mount. "Come on up, this saddle can seat two." She held her arm out to help him up and he took it, swinging up behind her and nestling comfortably at her back.

"You sure you know how to ride this thing?" InuYasha asked as she picked up the reins and readjusted her feet in their holsters.

"Well, I'm a little shaky, but that's what the leg straps are for!" Kagome answered as she indicated the straps that could be buckled around the thigh and shin of the horse's riders. InuYasha noticed that she had also safely clipped her quiver of quills to the saddle to allow for more comfort on both their parts. Hesitantly, after buckling himself in, InuYasha wrapped his arms around Kagome's middle for balance. She blushed a little, but only said a quick 'hold on tight' as she ushered Mizuki into a long stride.

InuYasha was blushing too, especially at the reflex to tighten his hold on her further when the horse started picking up speed into a gallop. His sense of touch was seemingly going into overdrive; under his thighs he could feel the movement of the horse's flanks, which was more different from Kirara's movements than he had expected. In his arms, he held the young woman he had inadvertently made into a TaiYoukai and it was strange enough being the one holding onto her instead of vice versa without the fact that she was wearing armor under her clothes. Beneath his arms, he could feel her ribs expanding with each breath, but it was strange to feel it through a layer of lizard's scales as opposed to the thin shirt she usually wore. The armor that Fuyu had given her would be flexible with her movements and not constrict her breathing, but would still give as good protection as any. Another good gift.

Again, InuYasha found himself so lost in his thoughts about the various gifts the Lords had given to Kagome that he was jarred abruptly from his thoughts when she shouted "Up!" and their mount jumped into the sky. He looked down as the earth fell away and watched the castle turn into a model house from Kagome's time. Climbing to a good height, Mizuki paused and floated in mid air, wisps f what seemed to be light fluffy clouds lingering under her hooves.

"Ok, InuYasha, which direction?" Kagome called back to him, her voice a little quaky no matter how determined she was to overcome it. He pointed off to her right towards the mountains and she pulled the reins as directed, giving an encouraging yell to their mount who took off at a gallop through the air.

This journey was as new for Kagome as it was for InuYasha, and for a lot of the same reasons. She wasn't used to being the one in the driver's seat, so to speak, for one. It was always Sango directing Kirara or InuYasha directing, well, himself. She was trying hard to be steady and strong at the reins of her new horse, but it was hard to concentrate with her Hanyou's hot breath on the back of her neck and his body pressed in a slightly intimate way against hers. Just the feeling of his body heat alone wrapped around her was starting to make her feel light-headed and she thanked the gods that from his position, he couldn't see the heated blush that rose in her cheeks. She tried vehemently to rid her suddenly Miroku-like mind of the images of a shirtless and breathy InuYasha pulling her tightly to him for a much different reason… She almost missed his next question and sputtered to herself when she realized he was talking.

"What did you and the Jackal talk about yesterday, while he was teaching you to ride?" His casual tone didn't fool Kagome, but she appreciated his attempt at not being a suspicious snob.

"You could be at least nice and call him by his name…" '_Damn, what is with InuYasha and refusing to call someone by their name when he doesn't like them… Does he think that'll make them nonexistent or something?_' she thought inwardly, rolling her eyes. "We talked a little about lots of things… He asked me about the Jewel and how I came to protect it… I only said that it was entrusted to me after Kikyou died, and that we met up when a demon came to steal the Jewel back. He told me he had heard the rumors of a reincarnated priestess, so I told him that was also true." She chuckled to herself, thinking back to the day before. "He said he was surprised at how fast Lady Kikyou's soul was put back onto this earth, only waiting 35 years before coming back." At this, InuYasha raised an eyebrow.

"35 years?"

"Yeah… I was 15 when I came through the well, right? And that was 50 years after Kikyou died. If I had been born here, then Kikyou would've only been dead 35 years before her soul had reincarnated, instead of over 500…"

"Oh, I get it…"

Kagome shrugged. It had now been almost 4 years since that day, the day she had found herself in a time much different than her own. She was now no longer a child, but a young woman of 18, 19 in just a few short weeks. Yeah, she was counting down, what modern teenager didn't?

"After that, I don't know, we talked about me being a demon now, and how different it was being human." InuYasha's ears drooped, thinking once again of the guilt he felt at turning Kagome into a demon.

"Do you still mean what you said the other day? That you don't blame me for changing you?" Surprised, Kagome turned her head to look at him behind her. Instead of meeting his eyes however, he was ashamedly looking off into the distance.

"Of course InuYasha…"

"Do you… Do you hate it?" This pushed them both back into their pensive silences. Kagome wasn't really sure how she felt about the change; it was what it was. She still wasn't entirely used to it, and she definitely wasn't used to the attention of people following her. Well, maybe a few humans who thought she was Kikyou, but not demons for sure.

"I don't… Hate it… I don't really like or dislike it, it just is, y'know?"

Again, all InuYasha could do was nod, tightening his arms around her middle. He wasn't sure if that was more for his comfort as hers, but she seemed to understand the unspoken gesture and with a smile, she whipped the reins and they surged forward towards Totosai's workshop.

Ok, done for now… Hope that was an ok chapter, with me adding some OC's in. I quite like the ones I've created and I'm slightly scared that I'll make Katsuo too likeable and then the fans (and maybe even me) will want him to be with Kagome because he would be better for her than InuYasha 'cause he's more understanding… I will attempt to make him likeable, but not loveable so that it can still be a Kagome/InuYasha fic. Comment away, Lovely People!


	9. More Practice

Well, it's been like two years since I last updated and for that I'm sincerely sorry. I was going through a lot of personal issues after my last post and then school started and the story kinda just got pushed to the back of everything. But here's another chapter now! Thanks to everyone still following.

The trip to Totosai's volcano home took much less time than InuYasha had originally worked out in his plan of how the day would go. Nearly two hours later the demoness that was Kagome had ushered their steed into a descent at InuYasha's instruction.

"Whew, always forget how warm it is in there. Don't know how the old geezer handles it day in and day out." InuYasha stated as they landed at the entrance to a cave that was carved from the mountainside and lead to Totosai's workshop within. Kagome just shrugged in response as they both dismounted. She took Mizuki's reins and followed InuYasha past the cave entrance, leading the horse to where she Totosai's 3-eyed cow sleepily dozing off near the wall.

"Hey Mo-Mo." she greeted as she walked up. The cow seemed to snap out of its daze and let out a tired groan as she reached out with her free hand to give him a quick pat on the head. "Has he been working you too hard? Poor thing." The cow groaned again and Mizuki whinnied in response. Kagome turned to the pinto and placed her hand on her muzzle, rubbing soothingly as she looked into the horse's eyes. "I don't need to tie you up, right? You'll stay here on your own?" The horse snorted its response, nodding its head once before pressing its nose into Kagome's hand encouragingly. Kagome smiled and gave her steed another loving pat before turning to follow InuYasha. The horse whinnied again and moved to take a drink from the cow's water basin a few feet away.

By the time she caught up to her companion, the Hanyou was already greeting the old blacksmith.

"Oh, InuYasha!" he called in his wheezing voice before breathing a healthy spurt of fire over a sword he was working on.

"Hey old man." InuYasha responded, shoving his arms into his sleeves as he walked up to the elderly demon. He watched as the sword in Totosai's hands was plunged into a basin of cold water before the blacksmith himself turned to face his company, putting his hands on his hips.

"Ah, I see you brought a friend with you today." he wheezed as Kagome approached. As she stepped into the light from the fiery glow behind him, Totosai's eyes widened. "That can't be the dear lady Kagome, can it? My, my, step into the light m'dear, lemme have a look atcha." Kagome did as requested and let the old demon look her over. He reached forward after a moment and lightly tapped the shiny surface of the jewel protruding from her collar, even as InuYasha growled. "Oh relax pup, I'm not gonna hurt her. It chose you then?" Kagome nodded and removed her quiver from her shoulder.

"That's why we're here actually. I'm a lot stronger now and unfortunately my old bow can't handle the pressure of my new strength. It nearly snapped the other day. I know swords are your specialty but I was wondering if there was any way you could use these quills to fashion me a new bow?" She held up the quiver and Totosai took it from her, removing each quill individually and testing it in his hands with the occasional murmur. After a few minutes of this, InuYasha seemed to grow impatient.

"Oi, old man!" At the exclamation, the demon in question seemed to snap out of his reverie and by the startled look on his face he had quite forgotten that he had company.

"Oh! Right. Well I'm no expert on bows, but I'd say I know enough to use these to make one. Better than working with wood, it's so fragile. Burns right up in a snap!" As if to emphasize his point, the old man snapped his fingers then let out a boisterous chuckle. InuYasha rolled his eyes and let out a huff.

"Yeah, yeah, wood's fragile and all that. How long will it take you? I have to go train Kagome some more."

"Mmm, probably all day I guess…" The old demon started to drift off in his own world of mumblings again, scratching at his balding head before sighing about some other problem he needed to get over. Seeing where this was going, the impatient Hanyou cleared his throat to bring Totosai's mind back to the present. "What? Oh, right, the bow. Well I hope you can do your training while on errands, there are a couple things you'll need to get for me while I work."

Kagome was the one to roll her eyes as InuYasha made a loud noise of complaint. He was just about to yell at Totosai at the apparently ridiculous notion that they could just sit back so to speak when she cut him off.

"What do you need Totosai?" The old demon smiled at her and retreated further into the cave for something to write on. He came back a minute later with a short list of things they'd need for the new weapon.

"InuYasha should be able to figure out where to get the materials I need. It'd be to your benefit to learn these areas as well young lady."

With a wave of thanks, Kagome grabbed InuYasha's had and pulled his reluctant form from the cave.

"C'mon InuYasha, like he said, we can train on the way! We'll leave Mizuki here and run to wherever we can find everything. Have a look at this list and let's figure out where to go first."

With his standard 'keh' he grabbed the list from her hand and had a look over it. After making a face that could only be described as a combination of annoyance, consideration and reluctant resolution, he stuffed the list into his sleeve.

"All of these items are relatively close, it shouldn't be too hard to get them I guess. First one we should go for is the bark from the Ko-Do tree. There's an outcrop of these trees a little to the west of here. Should only take about an hour if we run full out. You need to perfect control while you're running anyway, especially with distractions."

Kagome raised an eyebrow at his last words but shrugged them off. Little did she know "with distractions" translated in InuYasha's mind to "you're gonna run while I talk to you, randomly change directions and even occasionally throw a weak attack your way and you have to not fall on your face or run into a tree." It seemed as though for his training, the stubborn Hanyou really was trying to get Kagome to make a fool of herself, often pulling his tricks out when the result would be the most comical. They arrived at their destination about a half hour later than speculated, a panting Kagome trailing after a perfectly calm InuYasha.

"This is why we need to practice Ka-Go-Me." He threw a smirk her way as she glared. "If we were in a real battle you can't afford to not know where you're stepping. You're just lucky I was nice enough to save you from running face-first into that tree." Kagome's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as her Hanyou companion continued on his proud tirade; geez, she could practically see his ego rapidly growing as he acted like the high and mighty teacher he thought he was. Said Hanyou soon found himself reacquainted with the ground while Kagome walked past with her nose in the air.

"Gee InuYasha, that's why we need to practice your manners. Next time maybe I'll be nice enough to keep you from falling face-first into that dirt." By the time the submission spell wore off, Kagome had already reached the group of trees they had been looking for and began running her hands over the smooth bark. Ignoring InuYasha's growl from behind her, she reached up and started peeling away a strip of the smooth tree skin, which separated with relative ease. Crossing his arms, InuYasha watched as she peeled a few more strips, draping them over her arms.

"That should be enough." he finally said, a hint of his irritation still evident in his voice. She nodded and after perusing the list again, they set off in a new direction for the next required item.

Several hours later, the two tired Youkai made their way back to the cave where Totosai was waiting for them.

"We got all your stuff old man."

"Ah InuYasha! Great, bring it here." They dumped an armful of materials onto the stone that was used as a worktable and Totosai began to look them over. "Hmm, tree bark, yes good length... Wax from the demon bees to the east… And yes, the binding agent…" He continued going over the materials before giving them a final nod and bringing over the prepared quills. Through his forging mastery he managed to bend them to mimic the curve of traditional wooden bows and had the centre of the two quills clamped together. The two InuYoukai soon sat themselves against the wall and watched the old demon work. Another hour later found the old demon walking towards them, a placid smile on his face.

"Is it done?" Kagome's voice held no attempt to hide her excitement as her hazel eyes. The old demon nodded and held out his worn and withered hand for Kagome to take. She accepted his help up and happily skipped to where the finished weapon sat upon the worktable. The demoness' squeal of delight resounded throughout the cave, causing InuYasha to flatten his ears against his head.

"Oi Wench, it's just a bow, relax!" But Kagome wasn't listening. She picked the bow up and seemed to be unable to take her eyes off of it. The quills were exquisite, and as her eyes trailed to the centre of the bow, a small sigh of awe escaped her. The bark she herself had peeled was wrapped around the quills to create the grip. The wax they had collected created better traction for a stronger hold on the bow and a smoother release as the arrow slid past. As a minute touch, Totosai had burned the kanji for Kagome's name on the side, and even used one of Mizuki's tail hairs to fabricate the bowstring.

"There can be no doubt that this bow is made just for you Lady Kagome." Totosai wheezed, smiling in his elderly way. "Though your horse wasn't too happy with me for a while…"

"It's beautiful Totosai, thank you. Can I try it out?"

"O' course! I think I have some arrows around here somewhere…" After some rummaging, the old demon returned with a couple of arrows in hand. They were a little worse for the wear, but Kagome eagerly took one and ran to the entrance of the cave. Her companions followed at their own pace to see her testing the tautness of the string before knocking her arrow.

"Let's see what this baby can do!" With those words, she pulled her arm back until the arrowhead rested on the index finger of her opposite hand. "Go!" A moment later the twang of the bowstring rang out and a burst of pink light shot through the air in front of her in an elegant arc, the light fading slowly with each mile that was put between the shooter and her projectile. She squealed again and jumped around in circles before running up to Totosai and throwing her arms around him. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed and even planted a loud kiss on the old man's cheek.

A light blush could still be found on his cheeks as Totosai bid the two demons goodbye, waving with a kind smile from the entrance to the cave as they flew off into the darkening sky.

"Thanks for taking me out here today, InuYasha."

"Keh, whatever. You needed a new bow, who knows when you'll be in trouble next." Kagome smiled a little to herself as she looked ahead. She knew he was just putting up his 'I don't care' persona. She chuckled to herself a little before looking at him over her shoulder.

"And I'm sorry for saying the 'S' word earlier, even if you did deserve it…" She laughed out loud at his grumble behind her. "You know you did dog-boy."

"Keh. Let's just get home already." Kagome nodded in agreement and encouraged her steed to fly even faster. They returned to the castle just before the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon. Mizuki landed with a soft _thump_ on the hard ground and trotted to the stables.

"Not a bad ride," InuYasha stated as he dismounted and held out a helping hand to Kagome, who took it with a smile, "I think I still prefer running myself though." He leaned against the wall and watched as Kagome lifted the heavy saddle off Mizuki's back. The horse made a grunt of thanks and shook her head. Kagome smiled and murmured softly to the horse before turning and setting the saddle onto a stand next to the horse's stall.

"Hey, InuYasha, I was thinking… I want to go home soon. I still need to explain this all to my family." The Hanyou considered this for a moment before sighing softly.

"If you want to go home, I suggest we get rid of your 'guests' first. It probably wouldn't be smart to leave them here to their own devices, no matter what pledge they made when they got here."

"You don't trust them?"

"I don't trust anyone, period." he responded without thinking, shoving his arms in his sleeves and throwing his nose in the air. At the silence after his statement, InuYasha looked over at his companion and at her crestfallen appearance immediately realized his mistake. "Oh, c'mon Kagome, you know I don't-"

"It's fine InuYasha. Really, you don't have to explain. I get it." He tried to get in a word to fix his blunder but Kagome simply turned from him every time and before he knew it he was standing alone in the main hall watching her shadow disappear down a side hallway. He guessed that she would probably seek out Sango and the two would berate him in their feminine ways. He sighed and decided to go and seek company of his own in the form of Sango's counterpart, the oh-so perverted Miroku.

"What did you do this time?" was the monk's immediate question when the Hanyou came into view.

"What makes you think I'm the one who did something?" InuYasha asked indignantly. At this Miroku raised an eyebrow at him. InuYasha sighed again and sat down to tell the monk what had happened.

"Oh Kagome, you know InuYasha probably didn't mean it that way…" Sango said to a frustrated demoness.

"But he still said it Sango! I thought we got over that hill ages ago, but he's still stuck on not trusting anyone! After all the times he's asked me to trust him…" She sighed as her companion put a comforting hand on her back.

"I think if he trusts anyone in this world, it would be you. You know how he is, he's just still not used to even having the chance to trust someone. Hell, I don't think he ever will be fully used to it with everything he's been through in his life. You have to remember, he's been around for a lot longer than all of us. It's ingrained in him; you can't blame him for that. Here, why don't we talk about something else? Show me your new bow!"

An hour later, Kagome was walking back towards her room, her new bow slung over her shoulder.

"Quite the weapon you have there, milady." At the unexpected voice, Kagome whipped around to see a casual Katsuo stepping out from a connecting hallway.

"Oh, Katsuo… Yeah, it's great. Totosai did an awesome job." She tried to put on her regular smile but even the Jackal could tell that there was something lacking.

"Something wrong?"

"It's nothing, just… No, it's nothing. Don't worry yourself over it."

"Are you sure? Is there something I can do?"

"No, but thank you for asking." Kagome was going to turn from him then when she felt a rough hand gently take her own.

"Walk with me?" he asked as she looked up in confusion. "We can just walk or you can tell me what's wrong if you decide you want to. You look like right now you shouldn't be alone…" Kagome hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.

Their walk ended up leading them to sitting on the grass in the front of the castle, staring up at the stars.

"Do you have family who live in the village you came from? The one bordering InuYasha's forest?" Katsuo asked out of the blue.

"Sort of. They live a little ways away from it. I think I have to go see them soon. They still don't know about…"

"Your new appearance?" Katsuo offered. Kagome smiled a little and nodded.

"Yeah… I wonder what they'll say."

"I'm sure they'd be proud. I mean I presume that they aren't against Youkai since you've been traveling with them for years to put the jewel together. Unless, of course, you have done so without their permission for whatever rebellious reason. I don't see you as such a character though, if I may say so. If they're fine with that, I don't see why you becoming a Youkai through divine providence should be that much of a difference. You're still the same person right?" Katsuo threw a smile in Kagome's direction and was happy to see an answering one on her lips.

"I'm sure you're probably right. My grandfather may take it badly at first, but he has always said that he supports what I've needed to do with InuYasha and everyone. I think my mom will be ecstatic, she's always loved InuYasha's ears and now I have a pair of my own." Kagome chuckled softly, imagining her mother's squeal about having dog-eared grandchildren for sure now. Shaking the image away, Kagome threw another smile at her content companion. "Thanks."

"Anytime, milady. If such truths make you happy, I will oblige in saying them as often as I can. You've got a lovely smile, it'd be a shame to lock it away." He winked at her now and seemed quite pleased with the healthy blush spreading quickly over her cheeks. "Heh, that blush is pretty cute too." He laughed out loud at her sputtered attempt at a response. "You're not used to getting compliments are you?"

"N-no… Not really… I mean Kouga says nice things and then there's Hojo who seems to like me, even though he's always shy about what he wants to say, but I mean that's just…" Her voice drifted off as Katsuo caught her eyes and her sentence died in her throat. She was mesmerized to say the least. The way the stars were reflected in his dark eyes was astounding. Their light seemed to catch on the undertones in his irises, making them glow in a faintly ethereal way; bright copper now shone at her in harmony with his dark skin that took a lighter sheen from the moonlight from above.

"And that InuYasha? He does not compliment you?" Katsuo asked in a soft voice. Seemingly without his notice, his hand raised to brush a stray lock of hair away from her face, tucking it with the rest of the mane that draped over her shoulders. Kagome's hazel eyes finally fell from their connected gaze as she returned to her prior sadness. Katsuo's eyebrows knitted together in a frown as he tried to amend his previous statement. "I just thought that since it seemed like you two were close, that maybe that was something he would do for you. Surely he's not so oblivious as to not notice what others clearly have…?"

"He said I smelled nice once… Back when we first met and I was still human. But he was injured at the time, almost dying. Neither one of us were sure he'd last the night in all honesty. I'm sure anyone would say stuff like that if they were in that situation. Death will make you say all kinds of things that you normally wouldn't…" Kagome mumbled to herself, raising a hand to run a finger over the smooth surface of the jewel in her chest. In her mind she heard echoes from that night; the scrabbling of the spiderheads outside the door held shut by InuYasha's sword, the labored breathing from the human who had asked to put his head on her lap…

"That's it? Really? I can only imagine what you smelled like as a human, since I've only known you like this. But really, it couldn't be that far off from what it is now." Kagome shrugged softly. The echoes faded and she closed her eyes for a brief moment to collect herself before responding.

"Maybe a few times here and there he's said something nice, but he has no reason to compliment me. For the longest time I was just his shard detector, and he could never look past that to see what else there was to me. He loved Kikyou more than you can imagine, and when I came in the picture as her reincarnation it caused… Complications between us; especially since the last thing he saw before her spell took effect was her and the first thing he saw upon waking up was me. When he looked at me, he could only see how I resembled her. For the first ten minutes he was convinced I was her and that somehow I was trying to trick him."

"Does he love her still?"

"He says he doesn't, but I think a part of him always will. You can't go through what they did and ever completely get over it; you just can't, no matter who else enters the picture." The disappointment in her voice was evidence and Katsuo's gaze was concerned as an evening breeze lifted Kagome's hair off her back. She leaned back with the gentle flow, trying to let her feelings flow away with the wind, but without much success. Katsuo leaned back as well, his eyes returning to the stars as he contemplated his next words.

"Well, I think he's foolish to not compliment you. He's right about your scent though. It's a very beautiful scent, it suits you." Kagome opened her mouth to respond when a hyperactive, red ball of fluff interrupted their conversation.

"Kagomeeeeeee!" came Shippou's cry as he bounded out the front doors and looked down the lawn towards the pair.

"Here Shippou!" She called. The kitsune ran to the sitting demons, jumping into Kagome's arms and snuggling against her collar in an affectionate way.

"Kagome, I can't sleep. Can I get my colours from your bag?"

"Sure Honey. I guess I'm going to have to get you some more when I go home huh? You must be almost out by now." She gave the small form in her arms a loving squeeze, her heart warming in his presence.

"Yeah. Does that mean you're going home soon then?"

"Maybe. I'll let you know as soon as I decide. For now, help yourself to what you want from what's left in my bag. Only one sweet tonight though, ok? It's late and I don't want you up until dawn." Shippou nodded and scampered away, waving enthusiastically as he reached the doors he had emerged from minutes before.

"You act like his mother." Katsuo observed with a small chuckle.

"Heh, sometimes I think of him as my son. I've been taking care of him for so long that I can't imagine not being there for him. He lost his family when he was very young, and I just couldn't help the bond that formed. I wanted to protect him from the very first day." This statement seemed to please Katsuo. The demoness noticed his pleasure and blushed, clearing her throat softly and running a nervous hand through her simmering hair that was now a bit messier than before. "Well, uh, I guess I'm gonna try to go get some sleep. I don't want to be awake until dawn either." They both stood and Kagome patted her clothing down to rid it of dirt. "Thanks for talking with me tonight. I feel a little better."

"Like I said milady, anytime." He grasped her hand gently in his, bowing until his forehead brushed her knuckles before placing a kiss over them and straightened. "May you have a peaceful sleep, devoid of nightmares and filled with only happy dreams." She threw him a smile and turned to walk back towards the castle. The jackal sighed to the night and walked to his caravan, thinking over all the things he had learned about the woman now closing the front door above the stairs.

"Have a nice chat did you?" Shinobu asked from his spot at a small drafting table as his son entered. He shot him a knowing smile over the papers he was reading and patted him on the back as he passed. "She's beautiful."

"She's more than that. Beautiful, insightful and already has a mother's instincts with that kitsune." His father's smile widened. "She will make a great mother."

"She will make a great _mate_." Both jackals sighed happily within their confines and Katsuo passed his curtain to get ready for bed.

Outside, however, much turmoil was found in the mind of another presence who had watched the pair sit and talk companionably. Amber eyes glinted in the starlight, a soft growl issuing from the viewer's throat. _Damnit. I thought I'd have more time before he actually started courting her! This bastard moves fast!_ With this thought, the flash of red disappeared back into the castle.

Inside the front door, Kagome felt like an awkward teenager again, the blush still painting her cheeks as she thought about her time with the Jackal. Really, she knew she shouldn't be so pleased with his words; she was a new matriarch and his interest in her was probably more political than genuinely romantic. Sesshomaru had warned her early on that multiple demons would in all likelihood attempt to court her to gain status; to mate with her would make the demon in question extremely powerful politically. Still, she couldn't help half skipping to her bedroom, a girlish grin painted across her face as she giggled to herself. Without so much as a backward glance, she entered her room and shut the door, getting ready for bed and feeling lighter than she had in a while.

By not sparing a look behind her, Kagome missed the shadowed form that followed her, too caught up in her giddiness. InuYasha passed Kagome's door on the way to his room and let his ear hover close to the thin wall that separated them. Inside, he heard a soft humming among the rustling of clothing. The sound made his heart sink lower; she only hummed like that when something made her buzz with happiness. He could almost imagine the bounce in her step as she danced around the room to her tune, trying to keep the smile from her face. Ears lowering, he shuffled to his room and closed his door with a snap. He would just have to hope that when they went to visit her family, he could squeeze in some time to fix some of the distance that had been placed between them. He didn't want to admit however, that the damage was caused by his own actions.

Well there you go. Hope you like it.


End file.
